Block Swaps Completed

I am learning quite a bit from these blocks. And the learning isn't easy. However, when I am able to finish them, there is quite a sense of satisfaction.

We get our partners for the 6" blocks on the second weekend of every month, so my task was to make up the very easy Churn Dash pattern in blue and white on white. The top two blocks are in those colors and were the last ones I made. The bottom two look better to me but are not truly in those colors. We are to send off two of them, but she will get all four.

When you lay four of these smaller blocks together, they would measure up to be the size of a 12" finish.

My second block swap is the 12" Christmas block and my partner requested either ornaments or trees in blue and white. The ribbons are free at the top so she can decided how she wants to quilt them after she assembles all the blocks on this quilt. I liked this one. Also, the block measures at 12.75" so has some cutting room to fit into the standard size. They will actually lay smooth when finished.

Then I did a tree using 2.5" squares and cutting the pieced blocks into a triangle. They are appliqued onto a piece of white that reminds me of snowfall.

These blocks standing alone aren't as cute as when they are pieced together with others and make the table runners or quilts. The challenge for me, is more getting fabric that works rather than working just with the patterns.

This is where I am still learning. Fabrics seem to be sold in coordinating sections but that doesn't guarantee that they will work well together. And isn't that life too. We find ourselves in relationships with people we work with or worship with or live nearby and think that things will run smoothly. Like building one square, even following the directions, things don't always turn out the way we planned.

Well, for these two projects, I think they are fine. Interestingly enough, they go to the same person in Australia who says she is using blocks from both swaps to make one quilt. When the quilt is a lap size, you would need 12 blocks that measure up to 12" finished, and the 6" blocks would make a nice border around them. Maybe more solid strips as inner borders and then an outer border finish with yet another fabric. It would be quite stunning. They do end up looking like sampler quilts and so her selection of two colors would help tie things together.