There's More Than One Way to Make A Hummingbird

Hummingbird Quilt Blocks

9 inch finished

Last week I posted about a Hummingbird orphan block in a finished orphan block quilt. I said " I really wanted to make a quilt of Hummingbird blocks but just did not like the process of making them at the time I tried. I made two blocks and said "no more"."    The reason I wanted to make a Hummingbird quilt was because I saw a vintage one I loved in the July/August 2011 issue of Quiltmaker made by Minnie Jacoby Schultz c. 1930.  I liked that there were two ways to make the block - templates for piecing or a four patch with applique pieces. I had seen paper pieced instructions for making the block; however, I don't like to paper piece so I was excited that there were instructions for piecing the block. But I didn't like the curved piecing in the small block after all.  December 2019 after making a test block I decided that although I really wanted to make a Hummingbird quilt I didn't really want to make it with paper piecing, or using either of those two methods in the Quiltmaker article. 

So, after giving the little history of my Hummingbird orphan block  Nann's (With Strings Attached blog) comment was " IMO the Hummingbird block is easier when constructed as a 9-patch with an hourglass unit in the center, four isosceles triangles, and then plain squares for the corners. "

Oh, why didn't I think of that?  Well that works for me. I may actually make a Hummingbird quilt after all. I had a piece of muslin that might be enough for blocks for a lap quilt and the muslin might give it that vintage look. And it is easy enough to find more muslin if I don't have enough.  I was thinking I should make 6 inch blocks but ended up making 9 inch blocks. I also decided two of the Humminbird triangles should alll be in browns. I used my Tri Rec rulers to cut the triangles and sides from 3.5 inch strips of scraps and I used my Companion Angle ruler to cut the pieces for the center QST from 2 inch width scraps.  

In the process of researching ways to make a Hummingbird Quilt block I came across other names for the block - Periwinkle and Arkansas Snowflake are a couple of aliases.   

I was almost tempted to try the Periwinkle version made from 4 inch squares and then appliqued to a background that I found at Susie's Scraps. Actually, I might even give that method a try in another quilt. Might be fun. 

So, in summary, I guess I'm making 9 inch Hummingbird blocks on muslin background with two triangles in browns. And I will add this to my list of Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects for 2024. The other two triangles will be made from scraps in the RSC color of the month. 

The method I am using to make my blocks is similar to the Triangle in a Star instructions found at Scrapish; however, like the instructions say....the Arkansas Snowflake has an hourglass center. 

And since I cut 3.5 and 2 inch strips from my scrap chunks I can also use anything left to make a couple of other RSC blocks I started  few years ago (2022) but have kind of neglected this year. 

This is a six inch block I called Dalarna.  A quilt called Dalarna can be found in an issue of Quiltmania (Issue 68, 2008, #4) and was made by Mariet Soethout-Mous.  Her quilt was inspired by a child's quilt found in Asa Wettre's book Old Swedish Quilts. Now I've been inspired by Mariet's Dalarna to make my own version of an Old Swedish Quilt. 

I make it with 3.5 and 2 inch width scraps and a solid.  With the scraps of the scraps left from making the Hummingbird blocks as well as an addition of some solids I was able to make a few more for my collection of blocks. 

I think I have a little over 30 blocks now and hopefully I won't neglect these blocks in 2024. 

And then another block started in 2022 that uses 3.5 and 2 inch scraps and solids is the Overlapped Nine Patch. Instructions for the 7.5 inch blocks may be found at Klein Meisje Quilts.

With the Hummingbird and Dalarna block scraps I was able to make 3 more Overlapped Nine Patches for my collection of a little over 30 blocks. This is another block I hope does not get neglected in 2024. 

And then you know how one thing leads to another...

...with some scraps remaining from making above blocks as well as a few 3.5 inch scraps within my reach I cut parts and made some 3.5 inch HSTs.  Last month when I went to assemble some blocks into a top (QST/4P quilt) I noticed I did not have the HSTs I needed for the border so I stuck the QST/4P blocks back into the SAR (Some Assembly Required) box and made a mental note to make some 3.5 inch HSTs whenever I am around some 3.5 inch scraps. I made 26 toward my goal of 100. 

As the 3.5 inch scraps got smaller and smaller if there was enough left for four 1.5 x 3.5 pieces then I cut those and made a few Switch Plate blocks to add to my collection.   And then I also cut a few 3.5 inch squares for my collection but forgot to take a pic of them. 

And sew on...