Putzing around with UFO projects.......

It's been a couple of weeks at school with some very long 12-13 hr days so I haven't had a lot of thought power for involved projects.   Instead I've been working on some fairly brainless UFO projects.

The first one over the weekend was making more flag blocks using pp'd pattern sections that had been left from a long ago completed sampler quilt.  The pattern sections were supposed to have been a piano key border, but I never use patterns when making one of those.   However, the sections work great for making flag blocks although the stripe count is a off for reality but the thought is there.    The blue I used in the blocks has white stars all over it.   I have a few more to make in order to have the quilt finish at the correct size for American Heroes.   It will have 2" finished sashing and a 5" border around the outside.   Am thinking of using a tan for the outside.

The next UFO that I've been working on is to turn lots of cut off triangles (lots and lots of them!) into half square triangle blocks.   The triangles are left over from the wedding quilt that I made my nephew and his wife last year.

Yes, I know I could toss the the cut-offs, but once I get the HST's made there will be enough to make blocks for probably 2 quilts.   And I hate the thought of tossing that much fabric.     Hmmmm, maybe that's why I don't get anywhere in using my stash......lol.

In making these I'm trying out a method that I had seen on a blog a couple of yrs ago.   The blog author took scrap triangles and laid them on top of the alternate color fabric.   then just stitched them down.   Once that was done then she trimmed the blocks to the correct finished size that she wanted.   So with the leftover cream and tan tonal fabrics that I have I'm cutting strips and doing the same thing.  Once they are all sewn down (or at least a bunch of them!) I will start squaring them up to size and then press them open.

What I am finishing up with are  3.5 inch and 2.5 inch blocks ready to be used in block patterns.  

The only problem now is that I can't make up my mind to use a currently available pattern for the HST's or to design a new block for these so that I can submit it for publication.  Of course I already have one design created that I haven't made yet so that I can submit it....but that's beside the point.   Guess I'd better get busy and work on my projects in addition to the commissioned sewing that is due.

Pattern questions

In part of the feedback from my post about my block entry for the block contest (which is losing at this point....sigh.....), I've had a couple of people ask me about the pattern for the block.   This is one that was my design and the initial blocks were done from hand-drawn pp'd patterns.

I'm working on the pattern now to get it into the computer so that it can be put into pattern format.

My questions though are -
1. If you were to want to make this pattern, would you be willing to buy it for a reasonable price (for example, $3.50 for the block pattern, or $6.50 if I put it into a quilt pattern - both in pdf format)?

2. If I were to put together a pattern based on all of the blocks that I've been making for this contest would you be interested?  (Price undecided at this point.)

thanks in advance for the feedback!

Contest Block Posted - Please vote for me =)

Finished up my block entry and got it entered into the contest with two hrs to spare last night.   Was the last person to get a block entered into this month's contest.

The monthly contests are decided by popular vote.   So I would love it if you would vote for my block.

To do so, you would need a facebook acct (and be logged into it) and then open up the Modern Quilt Block Challenge website page.  

Voting runs the 11th through the 14th of November.

Thanks in advance for anyone that votes for my block!   It truly is appreciated.

Playing with color for submission block

I need to get the block for the contest made so I can submit it....and am having trouble deciding what colors I want to use.   living where I do I have to use what is in the stash ( a really good thing given how much I already have!).  

With this block I want 4 distinct colors in it - so here are the color choices that I am playing iwth at this point.   Which do you think works best?

Back to designing and quilting......and how I design......

In once sense it is hard to believe that I've been out here in Wyoming for a month now and have already finished teaching 4 weeks in my new school out here.  On the other hand I can believe it because it has been almost 7 wks since I've been able to sew on anything here.   I'm thankful to have enough things unpacked and where they need to be here in the apt so that I can actually sew again.

To celebrate being able to sew again I thought I'd write a bit about my design process when working on a new project.    In this case it is the new block for the block design contest that I've been participating in the last 3 months.  

Modern Quilts announced that the traditional block for this month to be worked with was the Card Trick block.  I've worked with this block before, and knew that I wanted to have the basic shape from the traditional block but ramp up the woven effect of the block.    

However the first pass through with the block design just wasn't quite coming through with the look I wanted in order to honor the fact that there are normally 4 colors in the traditional block.








So to be better able to figure out the color issue, I then drew up the block on graph paper at full size.   I then played around with colors.   And then finally decided to use "Quilt Paper Dolls" so that I could see the colors in real life and full size in order to make  what I was seeing in my mind actually turn out in real life.   Can you tell that I'm definitely a visual learner?


Next step was to draw up the pp'd patterns for the block sections so that I could make a test block.   Final step was actually making the test block.   I used fabrics that I had left from another sample block used for a block I'd submitted to QuiltMaker Magazine.   I'm happy with the way that the block worked out.   Haven't a clue what I'll be using the blocks to make once I have enough blocks made out of them.   Will figure that out sometime in the future!