4/2/17

Some Blocks

It was a day of NBS (nothing but sewing). Quite a few of the blocks I wanted to finish were checked off the list. First, I did Block 15 for the Solstice Challenge. This block is called "Precious Fabric." I wanted to make something bright and cheerful to celebrate vernal equinox. I think this will fit the bill!


These blocks are all made from scraps, and so I don't have a lot of fabric left over when they're finished. This is a large block at 20 x 20 inches, but I could see a whole quilt made up of these. Wouldn't that be a day brightener?

After that I got to work on the blocks for the hobo quilt called "Mulligan Stew." This poor quilt gets worked on so seldom, and I wouldn't blame you if you forgot the theme. Or if you haven't been following along, then you might not know anything about it. You can read about the inspiration for this quilt at this very old blog post right here. I've been making the blocks in groups of five. There are 60 in all and, with this group, I will have 35 blocks finished. I've included the title from the page of the book with these, showing how the original sign might have looked, followed by the associated quilt block.



When I made this next block, I hadn't intended to use the wrong side of my fabric for the five circles. They are from an hombre print, and I was being so careful to get them lined up in the same color section that I fused the wrong side...or the right side, depending on how you look at it. I decided it was fine that way, and so I just used them as is.



Fortunately, my little cat happened along and helped me dry my tears. How can you feel sad about anything when you're being showered with purrs and loves.


The book includes cutting instructions, but no sewing instructions. This next one took a bit of studying before I figured out how to sew it together.



Today I'll try to finish the last two for this group of blocks. We're also hoping to take a run at cleaning out the greenhouse today, so there's much to do.

14 comments:

Dana Gaffney said...

I love that colorful pinwheel and yes as a smaller block it would be so cute as a kid or baby quilt.
I wouldn't have known that was the wrong side of the fabric if you hadn't told us, so I'm glad you had a kitty to talk sense to you. Aren't you the person who often uses the wrong side because it's the right color? LOL.

Kate said...

Love your rainbow pinwheel. A whole quilt of those would be fun and colorful.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Lovely rainbow block. Yes, I would not have noticed the oops if you would have stayed quiet about it. It works for me. Furkid cuddles are always a blessing.

gpc said...

I haven't worked on the Precious block yet but yours gives me hope. :) I love the hobo blocks, love everything about them! We had sunshine yesterday and again today -- I'm starting to think that Spring might actually - eventually - arrive! :)

claudia said...

The pinwheel is such a happy block!
And yes I do remember the "Mulligan Stew" quilt! ;)
I wouldn't have known that the circles were upside down if you hadn't said anything.
I have to do some house cleaning today and put new curtain rods up in my bedroom. My lovely little boy kitties got a little rough with the curtains and bent the rod! (Of course, when the previous home owners put curtains up in there, I'm thinking they didn't want to invest in good curtain rods. I have never had any bend like this before!) AND...I can't wait to get my catio up, so they can get rough out there!

quiltzyx said...

Love, love LOVE that pinwheel block! If you made them the same size as this, it wouldn't take too many to have a nice sized quilt.
You know what I always say - we bought both sides of the fabric, we might as well USE both sides! Glad Sadie came in to give you some moral support. :)
The blocks all look wonderful.

I got some more kitty time this week - and will all of next week while K&B are on vacation. When I was there the other day, Ries was up at the top of the cat tree & after getting pets & ruffles, she was rubbing her cheeks on the edge of the platform. She rubbed SO HARD that she almost fell off!! Silly kitty! (Same cat tree that her sister Possum fell off of when they were kittens & broke her leg...)

Denise :) said...

Your "Precious Fabric" block is definitely bright and cheerful! I adore the polka dot print, especially. Polka dots make me S-M-I-L-E! :) Your "Mulligan Stew" piece, on the other hand, makes me laugh! I'd never heard of the book before ... I went back to the original post to take a look. I'm truly amazed! I guess if you can make quilts about the underground railroad, you can make them about the hobo's secret railroad language! It's a fascinating looking piece. It'll be cool to see yours all put together. Someday. :)

Ray and Jeanne said...

Love your Precious Fabric block. It really is bright and cheery. ~Jeanne

crazy quilter said...

I love your solstice block yes add that to the list to make a bright and happy quilt for when you have all those clouds obscuring the sun. I too have a very old quilt that I call my lifetime quilt, because it seems like it will take my lifetime to finish it! A hexy quilt not a flower garden but one named flower basket. I think I started on this one in 2004 or so , and still not finished, but I did work on it this weekend. Ha not much progress was made but it will get there a little bit at a time. Pat the kitties for me.

crazy quilter said...

One more thought you pay for both sides of that fabric so why not use the intended back when you want to!

piecefulwendy said...

I love the pinwheel block with the polka dot background! The hobo quilt fascinates me, since I've never seen or heard of the pattern until your blog. How big are the blocks? Sweet Sadie, all that love never gets old, does it. Enjoy your day, Barbara!

Lynette said...

I really dig the "Mulligan Stew" name, and these blocks are great. I hate it when I do that!!! I had to recut half of the eyes for the frog top last month because I ironed the fusible onto the wrong/right side. The effect with these looks neat here, though I know you were working for the front-side ombre. Good work, Sadie.

Brown Family said...

That would make a bright cheerful quilt!

Lyndsey said...

The colourful pinwheel is so cheerful... a whole quilt would be fabulous. The wrong side of the fabric works very well for the circles.