I'm trying to get caught up on my Moda Block Heads blocks today and realized I haven't shown my second month of blocks here yet.
I'm trying to be caught up each month by our quilt guild meeting so I can share them at our show & tell. So far, so good.
I substituted this block for the Block 5 Love block. I just didn't think it fit into the quilt I have envisioned. I shared my Love block that I turned into a mini quilt here. This was a substitute block that Lisa Bongean shared for the 4" Block 4. I enlarged the pattern for my 6" block. I love the little fussy cut dress in the center of this block! Not sure I'm wild about the striped fabric but it'll be ok in the overall scheme of things. As they say, don't sweat the small stuff!
This is Block 6 - Magic by Lisa Bongean. Using my Triangulations 3.0 CD by Brenda Henning makes it easy to make accurate little half square triangles. I'd hate to attempt it without some kind of paper piecing assistance!
This is Block 7 by Lissa Alexander called Zest. Lissa's pattern was for one large heart but I decided to reduce the pattern and make four small hearts and pieced them together for this 6" cutie.
And here's Block 8, a 9-patch block by Laurie Simpson. I fussy cut the center block and fussy cut the rectangles on the four sides of the center block. You can't really tell that they are a dresden plate in the center and stacks of suitcases in the four side blocks. Oh well, it still adds some dimension to the block I think.
Outside the sun is shining but the wind is howling! How is everyone doing with the social distancing and self quarantining thing? I've got enough sewing to keep me busy for the next number of years so I don't think this will be too bad - unless we run out of food (although I need to get back on my diet anyway!). Stay safe and keep healthy!
~Sharla
Squeee! I got some happy mail today! It was 5 yards of linen fabric that I designed and printed at Spoonflower! It's called Apron Strings.
In April (barring any postponements due to the coronavirus), I am giving a presentation on the history of aprons. My mom and I have amassed over 70 vintage aprons over the last year and have at least one sample for each decade from 1900 through 1970. I've researched styles and trends, histories on companies that sold aprons and apron kits, and gathered vintage patterns and catalogues featuring aprons. I'm hoping this presentation goes above and beyond the typical apron program people have given.
I've purchased a portable umbrella clothes line to hang the aprons on and I'm working on a backdrop to hang additional aprons for display. I'll have a table for the printed material, such as patterns and catalogues, and that is where I ran into trouble. I wanted a tablecloth for the table that fit the apron theme but couldn't find any fabric that had aprons on it. So, what's an aspiring fabric designer to do? Of course, I designed my own fabric!
I wanted it to have a 50's vibe, so I drew aprons from that era and placed them on a background of cream polka dots on my favorite color of vintage green (well, almost my favorite color of green, it's a little bit more mint than jadeite, but I like it). Although it's hard to tell from the photo, the print is rather large, with each apron 3"-4" tall with 1/2" polka dots.
I decided while I was ordering fabric, to order enough to make a 54" x 120" tablecloth for the refreshment table also. Can't wait to see it all together! I'll share more later....
~Sharla
A couple of weeks ago I shared my 'love' block from the Moda Blockheads 3 sew along. Today I'm sharing my finished Love mini quilt.
A couple of weeks after Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chick shared her Love block in the MBH3 sew along, Lissa Alexander (a.k.a. Moda Lissa - Moda's Marketing Director) shared a heart block she called Zest. I decided to add a few hearts to my Love block, even including the clipped corner HSTs from the hearts, and made a mini quilt. This last week I quilted and bound my 16" x 17" mini quilt.
I love the sewing themed backing fabric! Gives off a little badass biker chic vibe. And I actually remembered to add my label before binding! Too bad Valentine's Day is past. Now I'll have to wait a whole year before I can enjoy it.
Happy Quilting!
~Sharla
