2015 Exchange Block top pieced

I finished piecing my quilt top using my 2015 exchange blocks this weekend. I'm calling this quilt Guatemalan Geese, because I used guatemalan woven fabrics to set the geese. I really love how it turned out.

How are the rest of you progressing? Please post your photos on the blog!

Eileen's block is in the mail!

I sewed Eileen's block exchange block today. I may have to use this pattern in a quilt someday - it has good spaces to show off large prints.

More Block Exchange blocks

I sewed Georgia's blocks today.  This is going to be a really interesting quilt.  I can't wait to see how Georgia decides to set these blocks!

Design Inspiration

You never know when a block is going to inspire you.

I sewed Ruth Farmer's block last week and mailed it to her.  She wanted a six-inch block of 16 squares, with the four light squares in the middle.  Here's my block for her:

It is a very simple block, but for some reason, I kept thinking it about it. This week, I finally dug into my box of 2 1/2 inch squares that I've been cutting and saving for years and sewed a few blocks that are inspired by Ruth Farmer's block (8" instead of 6").

Here are my blocks so far:

We'll see if anything comes of it. Happy Quilting all!

March Exchange blocks

And here are a couple more Exchange Block photos from March.

Two of the blocks I made for Terry in March.

The blocks that people have made for me so far. This quilt is going to be fantastic!

I also sewed a block for Daisy, but I don't seem to have a photo of it. It is brown (of course) with a bright orange and yellow center.

April Exchange Blocks

So nice to sit in my quilt studio with the windows open on this sunny spring day.  I sewed a couple Block Exchange blocks (plus I cut out and mailed fabric to Dorothy - not pictured).

Jan's blocks.

Beth's block.

Happy Spring to all of my quilter friends!

Sewing exchange blocks

Here are the first exchange blocks I've finished this year.  Next up, I'm tackling Terry's block!

 Cindy's block.

 Bonnie's blocks.

Carol's block.

BE 2015

This year's block exchange is equal parts partial seams, small blocks and colorful fabrics.

Regardless, by September, we will all have a pile of blocks that will be screaming 

to be put into a beautiful quilt. 

Just a note: I've found that if you bag up those blocks in a plastic bag, 

you can't hear them screaming so loudly.

It's fun to see everyone's hopes for the year in a quilt block. 

Even though we're all very different, we enjoy the company and camaraderie of all being quilters. With so many other parts of our lives demanding attention, it's special that we take the time once a month to share a meal, stories, updates, advice (which I seriously appreciate), fabric and quilt blocks.

Each person's block is in a different entry so you don't have to read through a single entry and find that person's block.

Before we shared our block plans this year, we did a bit of show and tell, as seen here:

This is Louise's quilt. It's a cool hexagon, eye-spy quilt.

And this is Cindy's disappearing nine-patch quilt from last year … I guess she didn't have any plastic bags to stick those blocks in …

Thanks for hosting, Cindy!

BE 2015 Jan's Block

This year, we're making blocks full of triangles for Jan.

She says it's a two-year quilt top. 

We provide the fabrics here … She's looking for prints that read solid, combined with white-on-white fabric for the background.

We will make six blocks for her.

Size is 4.5 inches square.

Jan will also take a 4 inch square of your colors that you used, if you're willing to provide.

BE 2015 Daisy's Block

This year, we're making a nine-patch block for Daisy.

She will provide eight 4.5 inch squares of brown and beige fabrics (I guess she has enough fabric too).

The center square should be the main color of the quilt that we're doing this year.

Kits from Daisy will be ready to go in February.

Size: 12.5 inches square

BE 2015 Terry's Block

Terry's block is called Cleopatra's fan. 

She provided the background fabric and we're providing the other pieces.

Terry is looking for elegant art deco, Asian-influenced fabrics in black, grey, turquoise, navy, green, blues, tans and purples.

Looks like a hand-piecer's dream!

BE 2015 Ruth F.'s Block

Ruth F. has us doing a 16-patch block this year, 

with lighter prints in the middle and carder around the outside.

Pieces are 2 inches square. 

Size: 6.5 inches square.

BE 2015 Dorothy's Block

Dorothy's block is so easy this year. I might do it twice.

She's looking for 4.5 inch squares of either red or dark green -- four or five.

If they're different, we should sew them together. If they're the same, don't sew them.

She'll use these for borders for two finished quilts.

I didn't have a picture of red and green fabric, 

so I found this one of Dorothy from a couple of years ago.

BE 2015 Georgia's Block

Georgia's block is called mini slice and play.

She's provided all the fabric.

She wants us to slice and sew four times per block, no more than five. Don't trim the blocks.

BE 2015 Carol's Block

Carol says to use your scraps for this one. She provided the background fabric,

This block also includes a partial seam (time to put on our big girl pants and do partial seams).

No size given, so when someone finishes one, let us know. And if you don't have any scraps, see Carol, or Cindy, or Eileen, or … of course you have scraps!

NOTE FROM CAROL:
Block is 11" unfinished and the triangle (piece C) is blunt cut --- lke cutting off the hat.

BE 2015 Ruth D.'s Block

Ruth has requested hot flying geese! Each goose unit is 2X4 inches.

It's possible that Ruth is trying to warm up in Minnesota … we'll take it in Michigan too, though!

Make eight flying geese, sew them into two strips of four units each.

Size: 4.5 X 8.5 inches

BE 2015 Cindy's Block

Cindy's block is pretty awesome … it's her two favorite colors and includes a partial seam 

(which, along with very small blocks seems to be the order of this year's BE).

She provided us with all the fabric (maybe she has enough fabric for the entire planet too).

Size: 16.5 inches square

Cindy's cat loves this block … I wonder if Cindy will give it to the cats?

BE 2015 Eileen's Block

This is Eileen's Block (mine). It's called X and Plus. I provided all the fabrics for it (because I have enough fabric to make quilts for the entire planet).

Size: 12.5 inches square

My instructions were kind of lame, so if you need some more assistance, there's a good tutorial (which is where I got the idea for this quilt) here:

http://citystitches.blogspot.com/2012/03/japanese-x-and-tutorial.html

BE 2015 Beth's Block

Let's start off with my apologies for the bad picture here … sorry, Beth. 

Beth's block is called Thrifty. It's a nine patch made up of four, four-patch units and three larger blocks.

Size: 6.5 inches square

This is for a baby quilt -- Beth asked for light green prints for the dark squares and a cream solid or an unbleached muslin for the light squares.

BE 2015 Bonnie's Block

This is Bonnie's block. She wants us to make 16 units (so enough for four blocks) with happy, medium prints. She provided the background fabric.

Please do NOT sew the 4.5 inch units together. No brown, black or gray. 

Only one with pink or purple, and only if you must.

Bonnie said she's making this for chemo patients.

BE 2015 Louise's Block

Block Exchange 2015 is off and running -- some of us are still trying to catch up! So, here goes. I'm posting these in the order they are in my bag (which yes, this is the first time I've opened it since BE in January …)

Lousie's block is up first:

She's chosen an unconventional log cabin. The center can be a four-patch, nine-patch, or anything we might find interesting.

Logs (1.5 inches wide) can be in anything except very light colors.

She'd like four blocks. 

Size: 6.5"