Starflower Quilt block

For today’s Paper Piecing Monday block I did something a little different.  The block still uses the simple square block, but only one…

Starflower block..and yes kitties are still involved.  It follows the rules of the other vintage blocks – 9 patch of four-inch blocks blah blah blah…

componentsThe components of the block are…one (1)  WQ Simple square block, four (4) Triangle blocks and four (4) Starpoint component blocks.  Just click on the links to get the PDF of the patterns.

Starflower block 2So what did I do different…. I blew this block up to make a 21 inch block.

solid quilt block

As the local hospital was now requesting 42 inch square quilts, I thought this would be a great way to make a quick and easy baby quilt… and I was right.

simple modern baby quiltMy quilt is unbound, but you get the idea.  Simple pattern, bright solids and you have an easy quilt.  The pattern components are the same but just 7 inches instead of 4…XL Triangle component and XL Star component and of course XL Simple Square component.

 

 

Mixed Medium paper piecing Monday

Today’s paper piecing pattern is a little bit different from my usual fair, as it is a lovely mix of traditional piecing and paper piecing, not that you can tell from the results….

scrappy quilt block

The pattern I used is Lee at Freshly Pieced’s Arkansas Traveler block.  Lee’s instructions are easy to follow and I loved making a block that had a little bit of traditional piecing

pattern

as well as some good old-fashioned paper piecing….

block piecesThis is the block I am setting for August for my Do Good Stitches group.  I can not wait to see how everyone in the Hope Circle interprets this block….

 

A smattering of quilt blocks…

I can not believe that June is nearly over…. this year is slipping away way to fast.  It was with a small amount of panic that I realised this week that I was running out of time to finish up some of my Bee blocks, so armed with a pile of fabric, my iPad and a caffeine enriched beverage I set to work.

First up was the June blocks for my Do.good.Stitches bee…

curved blockThe block is a great log cabin variation…Though one block does not look that exciting, put four of them together and you get a fabulous orb pattern…

Hope circle orb blocksWhile we are on the subject of Do.good.Stitches Bee blocks, here is May’s blocks which were a blast to make…

scrap cross quilt blocksI have not done a cross block before and loved how easy it was to do.  I got a little carried away with this block and made a few extra.  I used Rachel from Wooden Spoons easy dimensions to make the block…plus lots of starch!

The final lot of Bee blocks I got done this week is a repeat of a block I did last year….

Scrapbeelicious block 2Yep the mini flying geese crazy is back.  This month it was Stephanie from Quarter Incher’s turn to be Queen of our ScrapBeeLicous Bee, and she choose the Liesl Made’s Flying Geese Block.  Yipee….

Scrapbeelicious block 1So I retooled my paper piecing pattern and set to work raiding my scrap stash.  I actually think the only way to make this kind of quilt is to do it as part of a Bee (and to paper piece ti!).  There is no way you want to be making more than a few of these blocks… okay there is no way I could make more than a few of these blocks and remain sane!

As it is Wednesday there is only one thing left to do….link up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.

Another quilt top done…

If you follow me on Pintrest you will know that I have been obsessed this past week with finishing my orange and brown quilt top.  I got a bee in my bonnet and could not let it go, even though I had other pressing quilts with deadlines.

brown orange scrap quiltThe quilt started life some months ago as this simple block – you can find the free paper piecing pattern link on my original post.   So over the last week I have feverishly been making blocks….sew, iron, trim repeat.

paper pieced block bitsWith scrap quilting there is not a lot of opportunities to chain piece usually but with this project I found myself chain piecing a bit.  First I chain pieced an orange block to a brown block and then I match up those units and chain pieced the blocks together.  It worked wonderfully well and I used so much less thread.   Eventually it all came together to make this…

finsihed choc orange quilt topI love the meta pattern this block creates…and I extra love the scrappy feel to the quilt.  The splashes of white and the variation in the tones of both the orange and brown make the top really sing.

quilt detail 2The paper pattern makes for pretty accurate piecing so that there is a lovely crispness to the points and joins.

quilt top detailNow all I have to do is rip the paper off, baste, quilt and bind it.  I already have a backing fabric chosen and have a name picked out.  This is my Jaffa quilt.. .named after a fabulous Aussie chocolate orange lolly/sweet/candy.

PMQG Medallion WIP

In the past week I have been working hard to catch up on my Portland Modern Quilt Guild Medallion quilt.  I was officially two borders behind… and now I am all caught up…

PMQG Medallion wipAs an officer” of the Guild this year I was gently persuaded to take part in this Medallion along but really wish I had thought my colour scheme through a bit better.  As my husband loudly stated last week “why on earth are you making a pastel quilt!” .  I have been asking myself that question for a couple of months now!

Medallion detailDon’t get me wrong I am loving the process of making this quilt, I just wish I had thought about the fact I would have to live with pastels for months and months!  But the process…oh I love the process.   Each month another border is added and each month, where possible, I turn the border into a paper piecing pattern.

New border detailsFor this month’s border I made a triangle/flying geese paper pattern (which you can find here PMQG Medallion Border 4 pattern) and the corner-stone pattern as well (you can find that pattern here  PMQG Medallion border 4 cornerstones)

Medallion border detailIf paper piecing does not float your boat but you like the borders, check out the PMQG Medallion site.  My fellow officers have done a great job of explaining how to make the borders with traditional piecing.  You will also find all the directions and measurements for our Medallion if you are interested in playing along.

As it is Wednesday I am of course linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.