It's a Jungle Out There!

Six 12 inch Jacob's Ladder blocks 

made from some of the 4.5 inch HSTs and 4 Patches swapped with some of the members of the Block Swappers Yahoo Group. 

Even though I'm an old lady, I don't swap blocks made of "old lady" fabrics.   I usually make the wild ones.   And this quarter most of my blocks to swap have a jungle theme.  (I felt like monkeying around ). 

At Block Swappers we also swap 3 inch 9 patches quarterly.   I'm always on the lookout for fabrics with a small things printed on them.   I made a Sister's Choice quilt out of these little 9Ps last year.   After that I started using them in a couple of Jack's Chain quilts.  

Join up with Block Swappers Yahoo Group if you like swapping 4 patches, HSTs and/or little 9 patches AND if you don't mind some weird fabrics once in awhile. 

 There's also a swap going on now for 4 inch 4Ps and 4 inch HSTs in Civil War repro fabrics.  I need to get moving on those! 

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 

Thirties Thursday - An Abundance of Baskets

I'm trying to finish up a lot of my UFOs this year. 

In the past years I have participated in a couple of different basket swaps - all blocks made in 30s reproduction fabrics.  The only problem is that I don't want to make any more blocks and one swap was 8 inch blocks and the other was 7 inch blocks.  I think I will add a one inch strip all around the 7 inch blocks (I spy an example of that in there). I couldn't figure out how many of each block I needed so had to lay them out on the floor.  Yes, I think I have enough with a couple to spare. 

Let the Sun Shine

Sunny Lanes blocks (block instructions at Quilter's Cache)

I've made 15 of these 12 inch blocks in civil war repro scraps, a golden tan and Kona Snow.  Twelve of the best blocks will go toward a swap with some lovely members of the Block Swappers Yahoo Group. The gracious hostess (and self-proclaimed cw fabric snob)  is none other than Vic of Park Hill Farm.    

(It's already on my UFO list...I made one block last year). 

Tales from the 9 Patch Time Warp

Earlier in the year I swapped 6 inch 9 patches in civil war reproduction fabrics and in this color configuration. 

Just the other day after I finished up my churn dash quilt made of civil war reproductions I was trying to remember what I was going to do with these swapped nine patches. I knew I had something in mind. So, before I forget again I made 6  Sister's Choice blocks out of a few of the 9 patches. 

I think they look more interesting on point. 

Last year I swapped some 6 inch 9 patches in 30s reproduction fabrics. Half of the blocks had white corners so I pulled out the ones with dark corners and made a few more to add to the pile. I don't think I have enough yet...

I'm going to alternate them with some 6 inch Apple Blocks in 30s reproduction fabrics. I'm waiting for that swap of Apples to appear in my mailbox. 

And finally I made 60 - 6 inch 9 patches out of snowflake fabrics I've accumulated.  

I made 60 - 6 inch Snowball blocks out of snowmen fabrics last year intending to make a Snowball 9 Patch quilt for my daughter for Christmas last year.  I guess there's always this year.  I'm ready to assemble this top for a quilt 60 x 72. 

Linking up to Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River.  Warp speed ahead! 

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. 

Churning out Churn Dashes

I swapped positive/negative six inch churn dash blocks in civil war reproduction fabrics last year with the Block_Swappers Yahoo Group. 

And then later in the year I swapped light and dark 2.5 inch civil war reproduction fabric strips with Quiltville Swap Yahoo Group.

 So, I sewed them into churn dashes. 

And now I have 120 churn dash blocks - 60 light on dark and 60 dark on light. 

This month I want to get them sewn into a quilt top. 

That's my April goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes. 

My 5 year old grandson wanted to know what to call that shape.  So I told him about making butter, butter churns,and churn dashes.  We inspected my old butter churn and he discovered it has a different kind of dash. 

The Dwindling of the Pink?

Pink is color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Late last year I started making Sunbonnet Sues from postage stamp sized pieces(1.5 inch square) using a vintage pattern from Q is for Quilter.  Here's my pink girl.   In addition to postage stamp blocks in each color of the rainbow I also started making some heart blocks. 

I have a lot of UFOs and can never decided which to work on next. The color pink lead me to this UFO -  different 9 inch blocks in pink and black I swapped back in 2010.  I have 15 of them but wanted at least 20. 

So, I had enough of some pink scraps to make 5 more blocks.   I'll be joining them into a sampler throw soon. 

I also have another UFO in pink and black - Pink Thrifty blocks. I don't remember when I swapped these but it was quite a while ago.  I have 67 - 6 inch blocks and want 90 for a quilt 54x60. 

So, again, I went to the pink scrap bin for some pink scraps to make more blocks. 11 more and I will have another UFO on the way to completion. 

I don't think the pink scraps have dwindled too much. 

If you would like to join the Rainbow Scrap Challenge it's easy...grab some scraps and sew. If you don't have any pink scraps you can sure see some pink eye candy over at  the ScrapHappy Saturday linky party - a weekly RSC event. 

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. 

I Would Probably Avoid HSTs Like the Plague If I Didn't Have...

...an Easy Angle ruler.  I needed 48 - 4.5 inch HSTs for 12 - 12 inch swap blocks and had them made in no time. (It actually took more time for me to find where I had stored the ruler). 

1. Cut the two fabrics to be used in the HSTs ( one red, one white - I have several sets of them cut here) at 4.5 inches. Put right sides together and iron together. 

 2. Even up ends of fabric then line up ruler along fabric at 4.5 inch mark along the side and top.

3. Cut along angled edge. 

4. Flip ruler over and line up ruler along cut edge and along the top at 4.5 inches and cut again.   Continue flipping ruler and cutting along the length of fabric or until you have the necessary amount of HSTs cut. 

5. I cut several layers at a time from several different red fabrics and Kona white. 

6. Chain piece the whole bunch.

7. Cut apart and iron pressing seams to the dark fabric. 

8. Make sure they all line up perfectly with the 4.5 inch square ruler. They normally all do but once in a while there might be a wonky one where my hand slipped a little when cutting. 

9. Cut off all the dog ears.  That's all the waste there is. 

And before you know it you have 12 swap blocks made. No muss, no fuss and with an Easy Angle ruler I almost always have perfect HSTs every time. 

We are blogging about tools and gadgets this month at Block Lotto.