It's A Finish! Arkansas Crossroads

Arkansas Crossroads

44 x 44

It's a finish! 

A couple of years ago a couple of different folks gave me baggies of 2 inch squares. I was able to make several quilts from all that goodness.   I finished this top back in September 2023 - 12 inch Arkansas Crossroads blocks with sashing. 

I quilted it with dark brown thread and with horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. 

The backing and binding are plaid - a small piece I've had around for a long time that I must have picked up at the DAV (Disabled American Vets) thrift store because it still had an old price tag of 65 cents on it.  There was just enough of it for this quilt so it was evidently meant to be. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

August 15 - Rain! We received some much needed rain. I was going to take hubby into the DOT to get his license renewed (can't do it online if over 70) but he didn't feel like getting up to go out in the rain.  Since I couldn't go out and do any gardening and since I didn't feel like doing any housework I retreated to the sewing space and treated myself to a day of mostly sewing. I did a lot of piecing and loved watching all the different fabrics go by under the needle. 

 

Now, Where Was I? Arkansas Crossroads

Arkansas Crossroads

44 x 44

It's a top!

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Haven't sewn for awhile but I had a few things ready to blog about at the end of August before hubby took center stage with his illness. (see previous two blog posts).  This is one of those things.

In the past year a couple of different ladies gave me gallon bags of 2 inch squares. And I had a few of my own.   I've used most of the squares now in several different quilts but still have a couple WIPs I want to finish up. 

Back in July I started making 12 inch Arkansas Crossroads blocks but after I made a few blocks I thought this old lady was getting an "old lady vibe" so was going to put the blocks into the orphanage and move on to make something else with the 2 inch squares. 

I didn't want that "old lady vibe" for the smaller quilts I've started making mostly for kids. I want a bright, fun, cheery vibe.  Soon I hope to be sending some of those smaller quilts to Wrap-A-Smile now that they have some medical missions scheduled and are accepting quilts again. And I also want to send some smaller quilts off to the Bright Start program at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.  I ordered a roll of batting at the end of August so one of these days I hope to have a quilting marathon. 

So, anyway, I tried to change "old lady vibe" to "bright and cheery" vibe. I made a few more Arkansas Crossroads blocks in warm colors and found enough of a striped fabric in my stash to use for sashing.

Arkansas Crossroads quilts don't normally have sashing and usually look a little more like one I finished in 2015. So maybe this quilt needs a different name? At the Crossroads of Old Lady and Little Kiddo? 

And sew on...

Thank you for all the comments full of positive vibes, good cheer, words of advice and prayers. Know that I appreciate them. I hope to reply to comments soon as our lives now change to a new normal - kind of a mix between "old lady and old man" vibe and "bright and cheery" vibe.  It's all good.  

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 

 

What To Do? What To Do?

Someone recently gave me a gallon bag of 2 inch squares. She also included a couple of pieces of solids in the box of scraps.   I decided to see how a couple of Arkansas Crossroads blocks looked. Ok. That might make a nice adult sized donation quilt.  I will continue to make these blocks using warm color solids.  I've been sewing together squares as leaders/enders. I'm using mostly darker squares.

I also made a few of what I call "Checkered Past" blocks. Four of these waffle-y type blocks get sewn together and then all the blocks are sashed in a quilt.   I finished one like I'm talking about back in 2017. It was based on a vintage quilt I saw on Ebay and the seller called it Roman Stripe.  I thought this might be the way to use some of the lighter squares. 

And then I decided that right now that takes more background and sashing fabric than I want to use so will put it on hold for now.  

And then the idea for these 16 Patch blocks popped into my head. Hmmm...maybe... Let's try a few more.

Ok. Let's go with that.   More leader/enders!

And sew on...

Note: Blog comments usually come to my email inbox and then I reply back if you are not a "no reply" commenter which means your email addy is not attached to the comment ; however, that comment email notification feature does not seem to be working right now.   Please know that I do enjoy your comments but at this time I may not be able to reply with a thank you. 

Thanks for the visit. Have a wonderful day! 

 

Arkansas Crossroads

Arkansas Crossroads

72 x 88

Scrappy

I used neutrals for the Xs and blue scraps for the X corners

There's some of my wild four patches and some that were swapped but I arranged them all with the darks in the middle of the 16 patch as well as the corners. 

I quilted it very simply on my DSM. I don't stitch in the ditch because I never make the ditch so quilted a line through the center of the sixteen patches as well as along both sides of the Xs using the side of the sewing machine foot and the seam as a guide. 

Binding was also scrappy blues and the backing was a flannel sheet in excellent condition I picked up at the thrift store for $2.50.   The whole quilt has been washed and dried and is sooooo soft. 

I can mark another UFO off of my list. 

Linking up today to :

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

WIPs be Gone at Quilting Readers Garden

Linking up Sunday to: 

Oh Scrap!  at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Later on in the month I'll be linking to:

A Lovely Year of Finishes   - . This was my March goal. (#64 at the goal setting party)

2015 Finish Along.    -     This was goal  #10

Julie's March Binding Blitz 

Arkansas Crossroads

Arkansas Crossroads is now a quilt top. 

My Lovely Year of Finishes March goal is to get it quilted and bound.

At the Crossroads

And the UFO saga continues...

Arkansas Crossroads

I made four more 16 inch blocks this weekend.  

The quilt will be queen-sized. 

I wait until I have some neutral scraps for the Xs and some blue scraps for the X corners to make more blocks.  I had blue snowflake scraps left over from the Snowball Nine Patch quilt I was supposed to get finished up this month.  And the neutral scraps were left over from the green Dandy blocks I've been making to use up my green chunky scraps. 

I always have a box of 2.5 inch scraps to cut and use for the 16 patches.  I'm not sure how those scraps get into that box.  I'm thinking fairies are to blame.  More on those fairies later. 

I 

Addicted to BS

Yes, I'm addicted to BS...block swapping, that is. 

Over on the Block Swappers Yahoo group we have been swapping 3 inch 9 patches for years.  Last year I finished up a Sister's Choice quilt using them. 

This time around I've been tackling a Jack's Chain quilt using them.   

(Sheesh I have a lot of loose threads in my sewing room). 

The Y seams in this quilt are a challenge for me but I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. 

We also swap 4 patches. 

A few years ago I made a Buckeye Beauty quilt using the 4 patches and HSTs. 

Now I've been working on an Arkansas Crossroads quilt. 

I'm using scrappy blues for the corners on the X blocks and scrappy whites/creams for the X themselves. 

And we swap HSTs. 

I assemble them into large Depression Blocks. 

Because I LOVE Depression Block Quilts.  

I made a Depression Block quilt using smaller HSTs that my youngest son confiscated. 

And as if that isn't enough to swap...well, we are swapping a second round of the dots and dashes shoo fly blocks that I just love.  I couldn't decide which fabric should go in which spot so mixed them up and tried both arrangements. 

This is going to be one happy quilt.  I think I'll make a BIG quilt to put on the bed in the winter when the blues are so difficult to shake.  How can you feel blue when you are snuggled under such happy blocks? 

And, if that's not enough...we are going to be swapping red, white and blue nine patches in civil war repro fabrics.    I've really been hoarding too many cw fabrics for too long so I'm glad someone suggests what I do with them. 

So, if you like swapping or are addicted to BS then join the Block Swappers Yahoo Group and sign up. All swaps are centralized so no need to fear you won't receive anything back. And, I've never been disappointed with anything swapped.  The 3 inch 9 patch, HST and 4P swaps take place several times a year. 

And since what I've mentioned today would be on my Design Wall if I had one I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times where I always see something I want to try. 

Getting Ready to Swap

I'm a member of the Block Swappers Yahoo Group and I joined up for several swaps due in March. 

One of the swaps is called Dots and Dashes and is a 6 inch (finished) Shoo Fly block. Use two different contrasting fabrics in the blocks - one a dash and one a dot.  

Aren't they fun? 

And we are swapping 3 inch 9 patch blocks again this year.  I turned all the 9Ps I swapped over the last couple of years into 5 inch Sister's Choice blocks and finished up a quilt last year that I just love. 

This year I will be using my leftover blocks plus the new swapped blocks to make two different Jack's Chain  quilts. The top one will use white/cream/tan fabrics for the hexagons and triangles and the bottom one will have Kona Navy hexagons and different TOT triangles.   Whichever one I like best after all is said and done will be a wedding quilt for another grandchild's hope chest. 

We are also swapping 4 inch (finished) four patches. The last few years 4 different fabrics were required in the four patches (2 dark and 2 cream/white/tan) but this year they only need two different fabrics. 

With some of the blocks swapped in the past I joined them to make one of the blocks of an Arkansas Crossroads quilt. In the X blocks I'll use all blue corners. 

We also will be swapping 4.5 inch HSTs again. 

A few years ago I made a Buckeye Beauty quilt from the swapped HSTs and 4 Patches. 

This year I think I'm going to make them into 16 inch Depression Blocks.  I made a quilt out of 12 inch Depression Blocks and loved it so will try one with 16 inch blocks this time. 

Interested in swapping? Join the Block Swappers Yahoo Group. 

And since I've shown you several things on my batting covered cutting mat propped up against the wall Design Wall this cold Monday evening I will be linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.