3" Scrap Bin

Anyone who says the 9-Patch block is easy hasn't done it. As I wrote in my last post, it has been hard for me to think about quilting. The sun was out this morning, so I got out to pull 3 buckets of weeds & dead plant material to fill up the trash container for the week.

Anytime a creative person is up against a wall, or is blocked, there are options. One is to give up. Another is to find a way through, over or around it all.

It is no joke for a creative person to struggle with whatever presents the barrier. Whether they are a writer, an artist, a lover-parent-or adult child, the creative barrier or block is crippling and quite real. A creative barrier can happen emotionally, mentally or physically to stop you from being creative. The halt can be for a few minutes, weeks or a lifetime. The longer it takes to get over it, the more time builds to prevent you from returning.

OH!! Its like those UFO's.

The first thing I did in the studio to climb over the wall was to work with the 3" scrap bin, sort them into colors, and to create piles of 4's & 5's for the blocks. That was easier sitting on the love seat watching a video. It didn't seem like quilting but more a mindless activity.

I tried to match groupings of 4 squares of fabric with 5 other squares to make the block interesting or at least have contrast. Next, came the pinning into rows of 3's, alternating to create the traditional tic-tac-toe look. Then I took rows to the machine, stitching first the rows, and pressing. Next came pinning of the rows, piecing and pressing. They need a final press and will get laid out again in rows. I made 37 blocks that may finish at about 7" square each. They all need a quick press & trimming, and that is my next step. It would take 108 squares at 7.5" square to make up a piece that measures 67.5 x 90. That means I need 71 more blocks for that size and more if it is going to be a back for another quilt. The 3" Scrap Bin is still rather full, which surprises me.

Some squares are a little larger than 3" and need trimming also. So, as a way to release myself from the creative juices needed to this fabric art for design quilting, the rest of my time this week will be working behind the scenes as a resource analyst and consultant. Hah! Isn't that fancy???