December Block

And so another Block of the Month year comes to an end for me. Yesterday I unveiled the finished quilt to the Monday groups. It was very exciting to show how all the blocks will come together to create the finished quilt!

The quilt, as I designed it, required 13 blocks, so this month you get to make two blocks--one for December and one "bonus" block. The December block pattern tells you just what fabrics to use and where to use them, but the bonus block allows you to use your leftover strips however you wish!

For December, I forgot to take a photo before the quilt was finished, so here you get a glimpse of the beautiful quilting by Deb Kerr. 

For the bonus block, choose your remaining strips and cut thirty-six 2 1/2" squares. Arrange them as you desire. You can see that I chose a gradated approach for my block.

I will post the finished quilt tomorrow or later today (as soon as I can get a good photo taken). This was a very fun quilt to design and make and I am so glad that I am able to share it with you!

November Block of the Month

November's block is similar to October's, in that they both have a double-chain, but November's block has a more dynamic design. The four quadrants are diagonally split into dark/light halves, which adds a layer of interest and complexity. The piecing is actually simpler than you would think: there are five four-patches to make and then four "house" units.

 Because of the visual interest in the design, it creates a very interesting quilt. Here you can see 25 blocks tiled (five rows of five blocks). The blocks have been rotated to create the secondary designs. Not only do you see the two chains, but diamonds abound in the quilt. It looks far more complex than it actually would be to make!

As always, if you get inspired by this design, please share your quilt with me. I'd love to see it!

September and October Blocks

Here you will find a terribly belated picture of the September block! It's a fun one to piece, using the partial-seams method, which you probably already know having pieced it for our October meeting. (I'm very sorry for the problems this delay may have caused you.)


So here then, without further adieu, is October's block. You can see that is is a double-chain block (the squares that run through both diagonals). And it is also a quick-pieced block.

And here is a simple quilt design from this block. Each block is repeated and rotated to form the secondary patterns established by the two chains.


I wanted the chains to be a stronger element so I created an alternative value study of the block. In this, you can see there is one dark chain and one light chain. The remainder of the block is similar to a Log Cabin with one half dark and the remaining half light.

When we use this value study to create the same layout, you can see how a very strong chain pattern emerges. It reminds me of argyle. This would be a very fast quilt to make because you could use strip-pieced methods to speed the construction. It's on the pile of quilts I'd like to make. If you make one before me, please share!

August Block

Oh August's block is so much fun to piece. Just make a strip set, cut triangles from it, and sew them back together. Easy peasy! Even though it's quick and easy, it makes a really striking block.


As striking as the block is, many blocks together make an even more dramatic quilt.

As soon as the fall newsletter craziness subsides (yes, it's quite close to being mailed out), I hope to add this quilt to my piecing pile. It's fast, fun, and dramatic--just how I like things!

July Block

One of my favorite design tricks is to take a traditional block, like Monkey Wrench below, ask myself questions about what I can do to modify it into a new block.

So I ask myself questions like: what happens if I change the location of light and dark fabrics? Here, you can see it creates a reverse image of the block, like the negative of a photograph. (Does anyone still use negatives anymore?)


But then I wonder, would it be more interesting if I added more fabrics to the block?


I like where this is going, but I could take it further. What would happen if I turned the center square into a four-patch?


And so in asking myself these questions, I changed a traditional Monkey Wrench block into July's block.

June Block and Quilt

June's block continues expanding our palette with additional rose and pinks. It's a fun, graphic design of pieced light squares alternating with solid dark rectangles.

Sometimes a block inspires me to ask questions and those questions often lead to a new quilt design. After I designed the June block, I started down that path and asked some questions.

• What if I made the block bigger? Instead of the block finishing at 12”, it could finish at 18.

• And then what if I made a reverse of the block, where the pieced four-patch and strips became solid and the solid strips became pieced?

• And then arranged them in an alternate block setting?

Before I knew it, I was grabbing fabrics and cutting them up so I could answer those questions, piece the quilt, and share this idea with you.

When Inspiration Strikes

I’m helpless in the face of inspiration. When it calls, I have to answer, no matter how inconvenient it might be at the time. Even when in the midst of many different projects, I find it hard to resist a new idea. If you read my art blog, you’ll know that my creativity is solar-powered; give me glorious sunshine and a warm breeze and ideas start flowing.

Yesterday, when I was working on designing and writing the instructions for the June Block of the Month, I found myself asking questions.

• What if I make an inverted version of this block?
• And place them in an alternating setting with the original block?
• And then size the blocks up 50%? Or even 100%?

I quickly mocked up the quilt design in Electric Quilt and showed it to Cynthia. We both agreed it was a go—even though I had no need to start a new project. But I am helpless in the face of inspiration, so I had to give in. (Had to? Had to? In the sake of true blog honesty, let me admit that I was desperate to start this new quilt, regardless of all the other projects I have in process.)

So I began pulling fabrics from the shelf. I started with bright, fun Amy Butler fabrics. I had a nice selection, but wasn’t quite feeling it.

I wandered around the shop for a bit began pulling dusky shades of teal and blue and green, with creams and mushrooms, taupes and grays for a more sophisticated neutral palette. That was it! The fabrics matched my vision.

I did some quick calculations, figured out how much fabric I needed, and began cutting. Before the night was over, I had the piecing plan outlined and all the fabric cut.

The next block of the month is Saturday, June 25^th, so I would have plenty of time, except for the fact that Cynthia and I are heading to Columbus next week for Yarn Market. I’ve mapped out a timeline and if I stick to it, I should have no problem finishing it in time. Unless of course, inspiration strikes again.