Week 39 Hovering Hawks

I'm not entirely sure if I see the hovering hawks in this block but just in case I gave them (it?) feathery fabric for what I think might be the wings altho looking at the BB posting maybe those are the tail feathers. And I chose one background fabric to look like the hawks are flying over a patchwork of fields scouting out where to swoop down on for the best finds.

Since this week's block was listed as being a symbolic pattern rather than a straight union or confederate pattern I decided to make a blue and grey block this week.

Week 38 Ohio Star

The Ohio Star block has always appealed to me. Although, since it is essentially a nine patch, I prefer to sew it when the math is compatible with a nine patch and this one is not. All the blocks in this project, as you may recall, are to be 8" finished.

Here it is. I could hear the dog pacing back and forth downstairs all the time I was working on this so I wanted to get it done so we could take him out for a walk. And when you are trying to hurry, well, that is when little things like a loose white thread that shows up in the photo will be an annoyance.

But the dog has been patient all this time so I guess one little white thread is a trifling thing to fret over.

Week 37 Confederate Rose

Behold, the Confederate Rose. You have heard of a grey hibiscus rose, right?!

Again, another challenge for me to keep within my color scheme as there is no rose in my palette. This project is proving to be a good challenge in many ways. For this week not only was there the question of how to get around the rose colorway suggested but also another of those patterns where there surely had to be an easier way than piecing those Y seams. I went for an approach that not only eliminated the Y seam but called for careful trimming down with the result that my block is exactly the prescribed 8" finished (8 1/2" currently) size.

And I decided to add in some fussy cutting just to make sure I had met the challenge.

Earlier this morning I was looking at a quilt magazine and saw something that reminded me to think about the setting options for this quilt. So I really must start writing some notes and sketch the ideas and put them in the box with the blocks to help with the decision making process. In an ideal way I would also make some mockups but who knows if that will happen?

And now I must go put my camera battery on the charger as it is not feeling very happy with the current battery level.

Week 36 Kentucky Crossroads

I'm going to have to look back through the pile but I have the feeling we have previously had a block similar to this. However, here we have the Kentucky Crossroads block (and for the second time I had to correct my typing as I had written crosswords - I don't know why as this was an easy block to sew).

I was originally thinking to fussy cut the fabric with Union printed on it for the center but then I realized I had to use my grey main fabric somewhere so I decided to look for a fabric with lines crossing for that square and ended up with the plaid there.

This week I have been working on a quilt and making 12" blocks. After I finished pressing this block just now I looked at it and thought gee, this block looks too small. But no, it is the usual 8" finished size.

Week 34 Rosebud

It seems as though I have been fiddling with this one for long enough now. It will have to do.

I might actually look forward to an applique one after doing a number of pinwheel centers!

And this has me all caught up at last. But I am going to start cutting a new project tomorrow so I needed to be caught up. Of course that is ignoring at least three other major works in progress that have deadlines looming.

Oh well.

Week 35 Star of the West

Hurray! I got this weeks block made on the day. You'll see I took some liberties with the way I made the block. But the instructions did show it colored with just three fabrics in this way.

I took it a step further and eliminated some seams. And chose fabrics with stars in them.

The outside light was fading fast and the rain (Hurricane Irene) has already started so I did not have a lot of opportunity for getting the photography just right.

Week 32 Carolina Lily

So, today I had a bonus afternoon and I was at last able to get this fearsome block finished.

You might note that I have edited the photo more so than usual. That is because it did not come out quite so perfect. But it is salvageable. Without the usual red background the color might look a little "off" but it is the usual grey background fabric that has appeared in every block.

I had a lot of difficulty with the dimensions and the templates for this block - and I take comfort that I was not alone in this.

And the reason for the bonus afternoon? We had a 5.9 (or was it 5.8) earthquake here mid afternoon. It happened as I was gathering my keys and purse to go out (on a drive to a lovely quilt shop!) and I was in the kitchen rooted to the floor by terror. I decided I could not leave the dog home alone for fear of an aftershock and I could not leave him alone in the car outside the quilt shop. So we stayed home. For a while we sat outside on the deck (I deemed us safer out there) but then I came in and decided that I might as well go and sit and sew and see if I could get a block finished.

And voila, I did just that.