Strippin' Dot Blocks

I've been very busy procrastinating the quilting of my wonky log cabins, so I've got another piecing project in the works, besides the fabric I showed a sneak peek of on Friday.

About six years ago, I bought a fat quarter bundle of tonal dotted prints at Quilt Festival in Chicago. I've used about half of them in various projects, but still had about 10 to choose from, and I knew I wanted to use a bunch of them in one project. Then last week, while reading up on straight line quilting, an idea for a super simple quilt block popped into my head. Combine those two ideas, and voila! strippin' dot blocks* were born.
Here is a sampling of the blocks I have finished so far:

And here's how to make them:

I cut each fat quarter (I'm using 6) into twenty 4" x 4-1/4" pieces. I chose this size because the 4" square maximized the fat quarter fabric. More about the extra 1/4" later.

 I cut white solid into 1" x 5" pieces. 

To make a block, position a square so the 4-1/4" measurements are on the left and right sides. Position a ruler across the square as shown, on any angle you like. Cut the square into two pieces.

Lay a 1" x 5" white piece along one diagonal edge and stitch. Press open.

Position the diagonal edge of the other "half" of the square along the remaining white edge. Always double check that you have this second piece oriented correctly to make a "square" when it is stitched and pressed. Try to position this second piece so that it is relatively in line with the first piece, but eyeballing is fine. You'll be trimming anyway. Stitch and press open.

Using a square, trim the block on all four sides. I trimmed mine to measure 3-3/4" square. So here's where the explanation of the extra 1/4" in the original square comes in--because you're adding 1/2" of white fabric to the width of your block, you're making it wider. So by cutting a taller square to begin, you're finished, pieced shape is more square-like, giving you greater flexibility for trimming. But, if you choose to just go with 4" squares for simplicity's sake, or if like me, you screw up and cut some of yours in the wrong direction, it doesn't really matter. That's the beauty of trimming!

And here's a finished block:

These blocks have only two seams, so they sew up quickly! I have 108 total to make, and I have 20 done in about an hour's time. I even started chain piecing them, though if you do so, I recommend chain piecing just one of each color at a time. That way you won't have to worry about if you are matching up the same angled piece to finish your block!

Here is what I'm thinking as far as a rough layout goes, using white sashing and turning some of the blocks, but it'll be fun to play with it for real once I have all the blocks complete and can put it up on my design wall.

Bright and summery, isn't it?
:)

I'm also posting this today over at Quilt Story for their Fabric Tuesday.

*I also have it in my head that these look like nautical flags, but google didn't agree. The red one definitely looks like a scuba flag and that's about it, but I can't get the nautical flag thought out of my head!

Friday Favorite Fabrics

It's been a busy week (sadly, not so much sewing-wise, until yesterday), but I wanted to pop on here quickly  and share a sneak peek of some fabrics I've been playing with.

They're from Nest by Tula Pink for Moda. Aren't they delicious? I love the red, teal and brown combination. I've actually had them in my stash a while and just couldn't decide what to do with them. I finally cut into them last night. Can't wait to show you what I'm making with them, but for now, this will have to do. Have a great weekend!

Lurking in my studio...

...is a quiet, nagging monster.* It's been peeking over my shoulder all day, tormenting me, beckoning me. I can't decide whether to run and hide or suck it up and tackle it. Especially since the alternative is painting my bedroom. What is it, you ask?
This:

Yep. My wonky log cabin quilt top is finished. And pin basted, with not nearly enough pins. But I used all that I had--I haven't quilted my own projects since, oh, about 2000. I prefer to pay other people for the privilege of doing it for me. :)

But, I need this one finished fairly soon, and after reading these tips at Tall Grass Prairie Studio, I was convinced I could tackle some straight line quilting. And since it's Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story, I thought I could post about it, share it, and create some accountability to keep working on it!

So far I've broken my thread twice and sewed 12". I've also remembered why I usually shell out money for this service. Don't get me wrong--I love machine quilting, and I'd love to be better at it, and I know this is how to start. So I am. But painting the bedroom is looking better and better!

*There's also a family of squirrels living in the attic above my studio, but that's another story for another day.

Hello, New Friends!

I joined up with the Small Blog Meet over at Lily's Quilts today. It's a great way for small (and new) blogs like mine to make more friends in the blog world. My blog is still in its seedling stages, but I will continue adding projects, inspiration, and fun stories. Thanks for visiting and come back soon!

Color Challenge Peach Block

I'm participating in the Color Challenge over at 15 Minutes Play. Short version, each week we're given a "challenging" color to use in a block design. Be sure to check out all of the other blocks shown there!
This week's color: Peach. 


I don't even like peach fruit or flavor. 

I struggled with this color and kept telling myself that I did NOT like peach. 

In fact, I had trouble finding peach fabric in my stash!  First I found an orange-ish peach and made this pile of fabrics. 

But I just wasn't feeling it. 

As I looked for another peach, and for colors to go with it (because nothing seemed to be working, probably aided by my anti-peach attitude of the moment!), I remembered a time when I had used peach in a color scheme and loved it: my wedding flowers. 

I had combined peach with a darker coral and a perwinkle blue (which was the dress color as well). Inspired by this photo, I dug through my stash again and recreated that palette.

From those fabrics, I made this:

and then this:

I got over my anti-peach feelings and I like the cheeriness of this block. Plus, it brings back fun wedding memories! While it helps that I ultimately chose a softer peach to work with, I had trouble successfully pairing peach with many choices, though I do love it with the periwinkle. I thought it would go well with green, but not any that I could find. 

I'm noticing that some of my blocks fall back onto the fail-safe color wheel art class color concepts--complementary blue and orange here, green/purple/orange triad for avocado.

To see my previous block, mauve, click here.
To see my next block(s) click here.

Color Challenge Mauve Block

I'm participating in the Color Challenge over at 15 Minutes Play. Short version, each week we're given a "challenging" color to use in a block design. 

I missed the first week (mauve) so here is my make-up block.

There's something about the word mauve...it just sounds unattractive, doesn't it?! 

I found a mauve FQ in my stash (the middle fabric shown below, which here looks strangely pink) and then saw the striped batik. Right there, I knew what direction I wanted to take. I loved how the striped batik sort of "updated" the mauve, which I can't help but think of as an 80s color. I pulled a darker plum and another blue to balance things, and then was pleasantly surprised to work in the light green/yellow/whatever you want to call it fabric--another fabric of mine that I can't decide if I like or not! 

I used those fabrics to make this:

and then this:

I liked seeing that mauve could receive a style update and join us in the 21st century! :) Seriously though, I found it interesting that pairing it with very gray-ish blues really helped to "un-gray" (dare I say brighten?) the mauve up, making it less gray.

Click here to see my previous block using avocado.

Click here to see my next block using peach

Color Challenge Avocado Block

To read about the Color Challenge I'm participating in, click here.
I found my avocado fabric pretty near the top of my green bin. When I pulled it out, it fell onto an orangey-pink batik I had on the floor, which immediately intrigued me. I ended up using mostly batiks in this block. I pulled out the purple mottled and two additional batiks with purple because I liked how they made the green pop. I rounded out the group with a dark orange/white dot and a darker avocado green. While I was looking for that darker green, I came across the butterfly fabric you see in the photo. I thought that the fact that the colors in it so closely mirrored mine was a bit of a validation of my color choices, which was fun. Here's my fabric pile: 

And then here's a pic of my "made" fabric. I had no idea how much fun this is--just random sewing with no worries about seam allowance, matching points, etc. And I actually kind of like this just how it is, without cutting it up.

But I did cut it up, and made this block:

I actually love these fabrics together so much (the avocados, purples, oranges, etc.) that I'm going to keep them in mind for a future quilt project! 
Click here to see my previous block, in ochre.