Common Threads

2011-02-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

Peace and Comfort...Finished

2010-09-22T09:37:00.001-07:00

My red cross quilt is finally finished. You can see all the pics here. Thank you all so much for making crosses for this quilt. It turned out better than I could have imagined.
Thanks again!

finally found a quiet moment!

2010-08-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

here are my blocks for sarah and jess, hooray for a baby who goes to bed earlier than i do! first, sarah's block:i decided to use fringe as my texture for this block. this was a stretch for me as i normally find unfinished edges unattractive, so i wanted to see if i could use them in a different way.
i'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, but i'm curious to know what it will look like after going through the wash a few times (assuming this is going to be a quilt that will be used and washed rather than, say, a wall hanging).

The second block I finished was Jess'my favorite part is the contrast between that lovely deep blue and the little piece of orange i used for my pop of color.i'm looking forward to seeing how both of these quilts turn out. Thanks for the great inspiration, ladies!

The Red Cross Quilt

2010-08-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

I started with this wonderful embroidery and made it a focal point...I adored that teeny tiny cross too.
I planned something totally different when I first thought about this project, but it evolved into this and I'm pretty happy with it.
I had another bee make crosses for me as well, and of course they got all mixed up in the process. I'm working on making this two sided with another cross design on the back.
Thanks so much for all the unique crosses you made for me. Not done, but at least it's in progress.

Challenging, but so fun!

2010-08-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

This was probably the most challenging bee block I've ever made. I so appreciate the opportunity to stretch and struggle. When I saw that you wanted it to be dimensional, I thought of those little paper fans we used to make in school. So I played with fan folding, and angles. I hope the bit of color isn't too much. I'm inspired to make a dimensional quilt of my own.

On another note, thanks for a great bee everyone. This is always my fav bee. You all are so creative and so on it. It's great to have you as quilty peeps!

Texture

2010-08-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

There was so much fabric I decided to make two blocks -

hope that is ok!

This was so fun - such gorgeous shades of solids and then deciding on

what pops of color to add to it. I used some scraps from

Far, Far Away 2 to add another dimension of texture with the linen...

I'm mailing them off tomorrow...

Pleaty McSweety

2010-08-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Sarah, your block is in the mail!

I loved putting all the pleats in!

I just hope I didn't overdo the colors!

smock it to me

2010-08-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

Texture was the name of the game this month. Origami came to mind and while going through all the books of folded fabric that our library had to offer, I came across this smocking pattern in Folded Fabric Elegance by Rami Kim. I love the suggestion of basketweave.

The green bordering it looks much darker in the photo than in real life. The other two colors in my package form a simple border.

The smocking in progress before trimming and pressing:

Below is the back view at the same point in the process. Here you can see the 1/2" grid of dots that guide all the hand stitching. Following a simple diagram in the book, dots are brought together to form the pleats with lots of knotting between stitches. It takes a few minutes to find your groove, but once I had it, I found the whole process meditative. I've got to find some other ways to use this technique and I may need to order that book. (There are 2 or 3 additional smocking patterns in it along with other fabric origami techniques. One is a VERY cool way to make continuous prairie point edging, with some interesting ways to press them into other shapes.)

Sarah, I thought I'd get this in the mail before I left on a short trip tomorrow, but I'm so enthralled with that center piece I need to bring it to my quilt group first. I promise to pop it in the mail right after the ladies get a look at it.

for jess

2010-08-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

loved your inspiration, jess! hope the pop of color works for you.

sarah,
i'm getting to your block this week...sorry i'm late.
j

Jess and Sarah's blocks

2010-07-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

First up is my block for Jess. I had intended on making a block similar to the one circled above. My width guestimation was way off, so the beginnings of that block turned into the center of my final block and a little strip in one of the outer edges.

Here's an unobstructed shot of the block.

For Sarah's block, I dug out my solid color scraps and stitched together this non-rainbow of rainbow colors. Halfway through creating the block I came up with the idea to add this flange of texture and I love how that little pop of color sticks out.

Here's the final block. I guess I was trying to create "texture" with my blurry photography!

Thanks so much for participating in the bee this round, everyone! I had a lot of fun working with you all.

The ideas are percolating for finally finishing up the quilt from my month, so I'll be back to ask for your input on things soon.

Star Blocks for Jessica

2010-07-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry these are so late in coming, Jessica! There are 2 9.5" blocks and 1 6.5" block. I dropped them in the mail this morning.

Thanks for joining our group late this round, Jessica! It was great to have you join us.

Sad-colored quilt finished!

2010-07-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, all. Just thought I would drop by Common Threads as a Round One dropout to show that I finally finished my Common Threads quilt!

My design plan asked people to make wonky or geometric blocks that combined a bunch of sad gray solids with a touch of coral red.

Everyone made terrific blocks - I loved them all. I added in a handful of others to have a throw-sized quilt with no sashing or borders.

I've posted a few more pictures on my blog.

Thanks again to everyone for their blocks!

backlog!

2010-07-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to get to these for awhile... I blame a shortage of dog biscuits to keep my puppy occupied long enough for me to sew! First up: the wonky stars for Jessica. These were officially my second and third time making wonky stars... it took me a while to get back in the groove, but I enjoyed getting reacquainted! And I love the citrus colors - so cheery.

Second were Jess's blocks. What are these called, anyway? In my brain, I think I'm cataloging them as little hills... either way, I'm in love. This block took me longer than I care to admit, but I really like the look. I think I feel compelled to add lots of details to these type of blocks, especially if I'm only making one - hope that's okay. And I didn't really have a choice when it came to "pop of color" - I'm teal all the way! I can't wait to see the finished product!

June for Jess

2010-07-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

Finished up Jess' block today - such a cool concept and fun inspiration quilt.

I hope it's ok that I added the blue on the bottom too.....did we get July's fabric yet?

big star, little star

2010-07-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Phew, caught up again.

Here are Jessica's maverick stars.

One that's 12.5"-

And one that's 3.5"-

I thought they'd make for a fun I Spy game on the final quilt - find the mini me star. Or perhaps the mother/daughter pair...

This was another block that let me know how much more comfortable I've become with just cutting and sewing without overthinking it all. Granted, it helped that there was a clear cut idea to follow, but I've come along way since the first month nearly two years ago when I was so afraid of making a mistake for Rebekah's turn that I made paper templates for my "wonky" block. (And it still took me two days to actually cut the fabric!)

Two in blue

2010-07-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I've loved about this bee is working with colors that I find beautiful, but don't use much in my home. Amanda and Jess both sent packages of blue greens that were fun to play with.

Amanda's block was a geometric challenge too. I so wanted to have my "pluses" overlap in the background space. Does that make sense? In other words I couldn't make them in mini blocks and just set them diagonally from one another. Here's the end result.

Jess's block was one that I've grown so much more comfortable making in the past two years. I looked quickly at the inspiration photo and was drawn to the block that had a small triangle. From there, I just started cutting and sewing. No drawing or planning. I know this comes very naturally to most of the women in this bee, but it's one of the things that was way outside my comfort zone when this bee started two years ago.

See those inset pieces of solid color in the prints? How about different widths and angles that are a little off? That's your influence ladies. Thank you.

block for Jess

2010-07-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

I loved Jess's inspiration and that the amount of fabric she send suggested a lot of seams and switches in the blue background--truly her own twist on the inspiration piece.

and a close up...

and the backside...

It's going out with tomorrow's mail!

Oh dear

2010-06-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

I have learned that some of my packages for June didn't get sent out (SIGH...long story). They are going out today, so if you haven't gotten my fabric yet, it will arrive this week. Sorry for the delay!

Last but Not Least... I Hope!

2010-06-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of things occurred to me yesterday. One, it's almost July. Two, July is my month for the Quilting Bee, (and my birthday.) And three, I had no idea what I wanted to have you guys make. This happened to me last year, too, for my own Bee. I got so caught up in the fun of making everyone else's blocks, I completely forgot to think about what I wanted for my own.

So, I sequestered myself in my office and buried myself in my Flickr favorites and all the bits of inspiration that I have saved on my computer. Two hours later, I still wasn't sure what I wanted, but I kept coming back to this image.

This was made by The Mayfly for the Virtual Quilting Bee. I love it hard. The simplicity of the neutral tones, the fabulous texture, the pleats. (Oh! The pleats!) And so I decided to check out the rest of the blocks that were made for this particular quilt. And boy howdy! I loved them all!

So I thought I would just procure myself some neutral solids and ask you guys to make me texture-filled blocks. I figured it would be something you could all have fun with and use your own creativity and I would end up with something sophisticated and lovely. But then I saw this:

This was in the same Virtual Quilting Bee pool, but made for a different quilt and stitched by Uncommon Grace. And it struck me that this block was just as textural as the other blocks, even though it seemed so different at first. And I loved LOVED the little pop of color. And that's when it hit me. I knew exactly what I wanted you guys to make for me! Textural blocks with little bursts of color!

So, I went to look at Kona cotton to find a couple of similar tones to use for the background of the blocks. The problem was, I couldn't find a couple of similar tones that I liked... I found 10.

So, I bought them all. I mean, look at them! It's pretty much impossible to narrow it down any further, right?! So here's what I'm gonna do. When these get here in the mail, I'll parcel them out so each participant gets a portion of a couple of neutrals. With this, I'd like you to make me 12.5"x12.5" blocks featuring texture (pleats, pintucks, rouching, stitching, embroidery, etc.) and a small burst of color. I'd love for you to use fabric from your own stash for the pops of color, so that I can have a little of each of you in your block. The color sections can be prints or solids or both.

I don't really want to get any more specific, because I'm really looking forward to seeing how each of you interprets this! But please, let me know if you have any questions or if you need more fabric or would like me to send you some color along with your neutrals. Thank you!

*PS: Sorry about the weird way the photos got cropped, but I need to leave to pick up my CSA and don't have time to resize them all. Click on the images to see the full thing.

Forgetful

2010-06-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

I posted these on my blog a while back, even uploaded them to flickr, but forgot to post them here -- where they belong. I got carried away with Nadia's and made three blocks.

For Amanda -- clearly I need a better iron.

And for Wendy. I was trying to make this reflective of my personality -- jeans, t-shirt, blend into the background, barefoot. However, I ended up with footless bald girl. And that's just ridiculous, because I have an overabundance of hair. Inconsistencies aside, I enjoyed putting this together. I love the people blocks. I had long ago (when I was in college LONG ago) seen one with men/women/children in different bright colors. I put it in my file and never did it. Wendy's block is making me want to pull it out again. So fun.

Citrus stars

2010-06-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

These were fun and such great colors - especially for summer!

I made a smaller 6.5" one...

and a 12.5" one too -

They are going in the mail tomorrow!

It's my turn!

2010-06-08T07:59:00.001-07:00

It's my month! I've been waiting so patiently. :) You'll be getting your packages from me soon, which will contain a few different blues, creamy whites, & tiny pops of color.

I have had this photo in my inspiration file for a long time, & I've lost the source. If any of you know where the original is, please tell me so I can take this one down & link to the original! I am asking you to make blocks in the style of the blocks in this quilt, but with the negative space reversed (blue backgrounds & white strips, with blue around the edges). I would love for you to add pieces of your own blue if you have some, but please keep the hue & shade of the blue as close to my fabrics as possible. I would also love to have some tiny pops of other saturated colors as well!

I am asking for 12.5" blocks. I hope I have sent enough fabric! Please send back any extra blue, but it's not necessary to send back any other scraps. Thank you guys so much!

really wonky

2010-06-01T20:16:00.001-07:00

dear jess,

you said, "the wonkier, the better" right? here is a very wonky star for you. somehow the finished size is only 12" (not 12.5)--perhaps my 1/4" seams weren't scant enough? perhaps i have baby brain? i thought about cutting it down to the 9.5" size, but then i'd lose the tip of at least one of the triangles, and that would look weird, so i hope you can find a way to use this shrimpy block.

i'd originally planned to make two stars for you, but i'd like to get this sent to you (so it doesn't sit on my to-do list for the next three months), so for now i hope it's okay if i send you just one maverick star. plus, i just don't trust myself to be able to do the math to make one that will actually end up the correct size.

love the colors, love the plan, can't wait to see what you do with all your stars!

:)
carissa

Big and Little

2010-05-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

I forgot how much I like these stars. Here's a big and little for you...actually a 12.5" and a 6.5". Beautiful citrusy colors! For some reason they remind me of fruit striped gum. Hope you like them too! They'll be on their way Tuesday morning!

Catching up... again

2010-05-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

For Nadia:

For Amanda:

For Jacquie:

For Wendy:

Plus and minus

2010-05-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

I had a plan all written out for a while and finally got around to actually making it...

Hope this works well with your plan, Amanda - great idea!!

May's Fabrics -- mailed today!

2010-05-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

Rebekah had expressed some concern that she hadn't received her fabrics yet. If any of you have similar concerns, fear not. I just mailed them today. This being my first time to send them out, I didn't realize how long it would take me to get everything together. And then all my kids (and me too) got sick. So I got derailed. Excuse after excuse, right? Anyway, I spent some quality time at the self-service kiosk at my local post office today, and my lovely fabrics are winging their way to you. Two to four days. And for being such a slacker, I included a little surprise for you so you'll overlook my flaws. = )

ETA: I want the centers AND the backgrounds white, with just the points in colors -- just for clarification. Sorry about the confusion.

plusses and minuses

2010-05-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

here's my block for amanda. my favorite is the teeny, tiny plus in the top left corner. looooove the teal and the fabrics you chose to go with it!

May Blocks

2010-05-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

So May is my month, but I have been hesitating, because I have been SOOO behind on other people's blocks. However, I am back to being caught up, and all of you lovely patient ladies will be receiving my/your blocks when I send you my fabrics.

What I would like is Maverick Star blocks. (I borrowed this picture from Amanda Jean from when she did her Quilts of Valor project last year.) However, I would like the CENTERS of the blocks to be WHITE. And I would like a slightly different color scheme.

I am mainly basing my color scheme off of Riley Blake's Summer Song fabric line. However, I also am pulling scraps in the same citrusy colors. I'd like these stars to be as scrappy as possible, so if you ladies have scraps in these colors that you are willing to use, I would love that. If not, of course, I have plenty of fabrics to send. Let me know if you don't want me to send you any colors. I will obviously send the white (which is Kona something).

I would like stars in 12 1/2 inch, 9 1/2 inch, 6 1/2 inch, and 3 1/2 inch sizes so I can place them randomly in the quilt. Make as many as you feel like or have fabric for. Make one if that's all you have time or inclination for. Whatever fabric you don't use, I wouldn't mind having back, because I'm going to exhaust my scraps in these colors sending them to you, and I may need to make a few more stars to finish out the quilt. So sorry.

There is a tutorial here for the 12 1/2 inch blocks. Obviously if you are doing a different size, you would use different sized blocks -- 3 1/2 inch squares for the 9 1/2 inch blocks; 2 1/2 inch squares for the 6 1/2 inch blocks; 1 1/2 inch squares for the 3 1/2 inch blocks. You get the idea. Anyway, remember I want the centers to be white, so you will need 9 white squares.

Also, I don't always cut the squares and then cut them in half. Sometimes if I have oddly shaped scraps, I will just use them as-is. Thanks so much for your contributions! I'm excited!

More Positive Than Negative

2010-05-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know what took me so long on this one...I sketched out an idea the day I received the fabric. Sorry it took me so long, Amanda, but it's on its way to you now. I have to say I love the big half plus. I hope it works for you.

Wendy and Amanda's Blocks

2010-05-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

I caught up on my blocks yesterday and made these two blocks for Wendy and Amanda.

First up is a tall, sweater wearing girl for Wendy (now if only my legs were as skinny as they are in the blocks :). I used light weight washable yarn for the sweater portion, so hopefully it won't be too thick for quilting. It's backed with a piece of fabric, so if you need to cut off the knitting, it's doable.

And here's a block of pluses and minuses for Amanda. I had a hard time remembering how quilt blocks were constructed while making the block, so there are some extra seams in the block. Once I got into the groove, I was able to make everything fit together, though. I am smitten with this dark teal fabric. It's so rich and pretty and now I'm dreaming up a new teal quilt to make for myself.

PS. Aren't the stamps Wendy used on my envelope the coolest?

Soooo Late

2010-05-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I'm so late with this, Wendy!

I wanted to be wearing a little dress with pants - of course I don't normally wear green dresses with red polka dot pants but I figured it was for a quilt so it would be ok....

Somehow I feel like it looks like a little kid - but at least I'm thinner :-)

rebekah's butterflies

2010-04-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here it is Rebekah. So sorry for the wait. I can't even explain why this one took me so long. It seemed that every sketch I made just didn't feel right. I'd put the sketchbook aside and walk away for a bit. That wasn't working, so I carried the fabrics with me every week to my quilting group and would pull them out. Still nothing. At this point it was just plain embarrassing. This weekend I holed up in my studio and refused to leave until I'd figured it out.

And I think I did.

I hope this features squares and rectangles enough for you because it's one of my favorite blocks that I've made so far. It was heavily influenced by all those narrow strips of fabric that were used in the blocks all of you made for me last year. I think I was stuck in trying to figure out how to make the pink predominant in my old sketches. I also knew I wanted very much to feature the butterfly with embriodery. This idea seems to have solved both problems.

The stitched butterfly is actually a white one cut from the motif fabric you sent, but without the others surrounding it, the butterfly faded into the cream background. It was perfect for a little embellishment in whatever color I wanted.

for Wendy, for Amanda

2010-04-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here I am in my little self portrait for Wendy.

This sort of block does not come naturally to me. I struggled and don't really think this captures what I wanted. Oh well. At least I got pants, scarf, and layered tops in. I couldn't get my feet to look anything close to right and ultimately went footless. Let's just pretend my crazy pants cover my feet, okay? ;)

= = =
Digs's block was right up my alley. I was able to crank this out in no time. And I don't want to give it back. But I will. Since I was bribed with chocolate.

nadia's forest

2010-04-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

I also loved those little animals peeking out of their little holes. They had to have some trees to live in. Nadia, I hope you don't mind that I used a lot of my own fabric for this one. I had just enough faux bois left to give them their own little forest. The Heather Ross fabric between the trees was meant to add a little plant diversity.

After I appliqued the animals to their trees, they didn't stand out nearly as much as I had hoped, so I used some embroidery floss to outline the holes and create a little texture.

Oh, that cute little racoon face! Not as cute as a new baby though.

cross my heart, I'm catching up

2010-04-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you Jacquie, I got myself into a quilt bee slump and was feeling overwhelmed with how much I had to make up. These little blocks were just the right size to make me feel like I could get going again.

In fact, I just kept going until I ran out of fabric.

There's something about that little cross that I just love. Probably has something to do with my liking anything as long as it's miniature.

What to Wear?

2010-04-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took me so long, Wendy, but I have the same problem every time there is a special occasion and I have to decide what to wear.

I don't usually wear dresses, but for this occasion it seemed fitting. Also, I made myself tall and thin, artistic license you know. I hope it's ok that I'm not wearing a hat. I would never wear a hat.

I think the log cabin blocked dress makes it very me. I'm going to be happy living in your quilt!

pluses and minuses

2010-04-07T17:08:00.001-07:00

Gosh, packing up all this fabric is taking longer than I expected, but I'm putting the packages in the mail on Friday. Somewhere commented on someone's awesome plus sign quilt on flickr (maybe yours, Rossie?) is a question about what comes next after pluses. I think someone answered minuses, and, well, I've never been able to get that image out of my head. But, of course, I kinda want both: pluses and minuses.

Here's the plan: the background fabric will be the same throughout - yummy dark teal (which, I think, should disguise dog hair nicely!) - so the idea is the pluses and minuses kind of float in 16 x 16-inch squares. For some reason, I'm having trouble uploading my drawing (albeit crude!) to give you an idea of what I'm thinking, but I was able to get it up on flickr here. And more details to come with the fabric. And just so we're clear, wonky is so, so good!

Can't wait to see your block. Cheers to you and a sunny spring!

blocks for nadia and wendy

2010-03-28T12:59:00.001-07:00

doing single quilt blocks is about the right amount of crafty commitment for me right now. I can make one seam or two and then if I get called away, I can put it down and come back to it whenever I get the chance. And so... I'm all caught up! whew! Here are two blocks for Nadia:

I ended up using a gray solid from my own stash on the lion block because I didn't have enough of Nadia's gray in the right size. As far as I can tell, it's exactly the same shade of gray, but it's a slightly lighter weight fabric, so I made this easy block in case you want to swap out your own grays, Nadia. Also, a big thank you to my mom who fixed the top block for me. I ended up doing a ridiculous amount of math to make sure the block would turn out 12" square and wouldn't waste any of that awesome woodsy fabric, but I think my seams were slightly off because the block wasn't square when I was done. I mentioned this to my perfectionist sewist mother and she fixed it after I went to bed. woo hoo!

And this is my block for Wendy. It was lots of fun! I was a little worried about it for some reason, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I added a little paint on the "shirt" because of my screen printing hobby. It should wash fine.

Thanks for these fun projects! Now let's see if I can get them into the mail!

sneaky peek

2010-03-23T10:14:00.001-07:00

My parents are here, visiting because of the new baby, and I wanted to show off my beautiful bookshelf blocks. I think I forgot one (it was in a different stack in my craft room), but it was the first time I'd laid them all out together since I'd received them and.... it took my breath away.
now I REALLY want to get this quilt stitched up! thanks to everyone for helping me to get these blocks made. I'm especially grateful for your stash scrap donations. I couldn't have made such a beautiful variety of prints without your help. Hmmm.... now if I could just find my free time.... I seem to have mislaid it.....

:)

carissa's books

2010-03-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

One more shelf for Carissa. I think of my stash as being more in the vintage/murky color range, so it was fun to discover I had a few scraps to add to Carissa's bright bookcase. This was a fun block to work on - quick, but with some challenges to arrange the book heights and colors in a way that made me happy. It's going to be a striking quilt when they're all put together!

(Arg. I thought I posted this a month ago. Must have hit "save now" instead of "publish post". Sorry.)

these are the quilters in my neighborhood* -

2010-03-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

At least I wish all of you were. I've written before about how much inspiration and friendship I get from my neighborhood quilting group. If I could make it happen, I think I'd move all of the Common Threads quilters to the Chicago area so they could join me every Tuesday. As it is, I have to settle for having you in my internet neighborhood.

Recently a friend gave me a copy of Material Obsession by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke. They have a quilt in there that makes me think of my circle of quilting friends both at home and on the computer -

The 'Burbs

This month I'd like all of you to make a block representing yourselves. I've included in the packages some directions if you want them, but these ladies are pretty varied in size and style, so please feel free to improvise. Add some extras if you'd like to embellish yourself (buttons, ribbons, doilies, lace), just be sure that it's washable. This quilt isn't going on the wall, I plan to curl up in it and use it daily.

Below are the block background fabrics and "fleshtones". Please feel free to swap out the fabric for the face and hands if you have more melanin than me. Sadly, the off white muslin is actually very close to my skin tone at this point in the year. The only thing I ask for those parts of the block is that they are made with a solid fabric and are left blank - like Amish dolls.

All the ladies in the quilt happen to be wearing dresses, but if you're a jeans and tee shirt kind of girl, go ahead and make yours that way. As you can see below, most of the dress fabrics I've included are floral and springy. I'm fine with substitutions, in fact, I'd welcome anything from your stash that's a representation of who you are as a person or quilter. I only ask that if you prefer to wear black everyday that you choose a brighter print with black as an accent to keep with the tone of the quilt. After I took this picture I added a few more prints in purples with some more geometrics on them, so I'm not stuck on just florals, but I do want the quilt to read as happy and bright. I'll also include a small piece of dark brown for the boots/legs. Again, if you like to be barefoot, use the flesh tone. If you have a favorite pair of red shoes, use a piece of red fabric. It's up to you.

The size of the blocks can vary and I'm happy with either a rectangle or a square. I'd prefer that no dimension be smaller than 6" or larger than 12" finished.

I can't wait for all of you to start showing up in my mailbox!

*click here if you want that classic Sesame Song in your head for the rest of the day

round one, done!

2010-03-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! I'm finally finished with my round one quilt! Here it is in all its glory, hanging over the sofa:

I cannot begin to thank my fellow common threaders for all of these blocks. There's simply no way I'd have been able to make a quilt with such unique blocks on my own. I think it's very true to the Gee's Bend and Nancy Crow inspirations. The whole wall seems alive with it hanging there.

You can see I went with a version of the second option I posted a bit back. Staggering those columns was a huge challenge for me. I lean very much toward symmetry and this quilt was intended to get me away from that. I borrowed a quilting idea I saw on Amber's blog several months ago. Originally, I considered quilting wonky, concentric squares in each block. Amber posted a quilt with wonky, vertical lines and I knew that would be perfect here.

The final size is about 44" X 60".

I'm working on gathering up the materials for round two and should be posting about it this week.

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Thank you...

2010-03-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share the cross blocks I've received so far. They're so unique and fun! As some of you know, my mom has had a tough road lately, and one of our daily activities is that I sit with her and share what I'm working on. I had to let you know that she adored these blocks. She wants me to make them into a wall hanging for her pastor. I'm always surprised at the power of a quilt.

Blocks for Jacquie and Carissa -- Finally!

2010-03-10T04:33:00.000-08:00

The real tragedy here is that I have had these blocks done for about a month, and I just barely mailed them yesterday. But they are on their ways now, ladies. Sorry you had to wait so long.

For Carissa.

I tried to do a variety of different blocks for Jacquie, but I'm not sure the wonky ones turned out that well. The one below, I didn't think it completely through before starting construction, so I'm not sure it even reads as a cross.

So I had to throw in some standard issue crosses just to be safe. I look forward to seeing the finished quilts!

blocks for Jacquie & Nadia

2010-03-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of fun playing with these cross blocks. I pulled out some scraps from my first Common Threads quilt (back in May 2008) to add some variety to the reds (and blacks). The bottom left one isn't calling out "cross" to me, so maybe you can use one half of it in another cross block, Jacquie.

Here's the two I made for Nadia. This fabric is absolutely adorable and now I've got a hankering to make a woodland themed quilt.

Fractured Forest for Nadia and Gus

2010-03-01T07:31:00.001-08:00

This is the "fractured forest" block for Nadia. I love the way the little animals are peeking out. Congratulations again, Nadia. I know you will have fun putting this quilt together for little Gus.

For Nadia

2010-02-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

Hi Nadia - hope you enjoying that little guy and that wonderful baby smell :-)

I used Oh Fransson's Hedgerow pattern for my block - hope you like it!

Crosses for Jacquie

2010-02-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

Somehow I had trouble getting my seams to line up perfect for all the crosses for Jacquie...

but I made three and hope they are ok!

blocks for Nadia

2010-02-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

Hi Nadia,

I hope you are doing great with your new baby! I had a lot of fun stitching up your blocks yesterday. I was in a groove and ended up making three! I kept the blocks simple in order to show off your fabrics. I did this one first. How much simpler could I get? ha ha.

Then came this block. You'll notice I added in some of my own fabric here: the sunspots just seemed to go so well!

And here, I wanted to use up the last piece of the elephants, and realized these donkeys would go quite nicely with your colors and theme!

I hope you like them! They will be in the mail tomorrow.

Rossie

ETA: I'm sending Nadia an email to this effect, but she probably should not use the block with the donkeys as there seems to be a problem with that fabric fading:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frenchtoastcake/4399660496/in/pool-freshmodernquilts

information about Nadia's blocks

2010-02-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I emailed Nadia this morning to ask how big she wanted the blocks to be and for confirmation that it was "stitcher's choice." She asked me to pass along her response to you all.

Nadia emailed me back to say "let's do 12" blocks" and....drumroll please....that she gave birth to baby Gus yesterday! Hello Gus!

The blocks are stitcher's choice, but if you read Nadia's post you'll get some good hints on what appeals to the new mom.

Cheers,
Rossie

A funny thing happened on the way to the sewing machine...

2010-02-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Carissa, you are probably going to think I had too much fun putting your blocks together. When pulling scraps, I kept thinking about what sort of books would have these fabrics for covers and then I started putting the "books" with "similar topics" together. Thus, we have a section of cook books...

gardening books, and books on mid-century modern design.

In this photograph, the books to the left and the right are novels. Those in the center have titles like "Parenting Your Teen." Oh dear.

I hope you like them. If they are too novelty for you, feel free to leave them out. Stitch them into placements or something. :)

And Jacquie, here are your crosses. I've no funny stories to go along with these, but they do make me laugh because I was watching "Lost" while piecing them and every time I see them I think about "Lost" and how someone described it as similar to "getting really drunk and reading a choose-your-own-adventure book from back to front."

Both packages were posted last week so you should have them soon!

criss-crosses

2010-02-14T19:23:00.001-08:00

Here are three blocks for Jacquie's cross quilt--I hope they're what you're looking for! I loved the fabrics you sent! i also added a tiny strip of black to one of the blocks. I had the same problem Jess had with the seam allowances, but I think that's just par for the course. I can't wait to see how this quilt looks when it's all done!

A little sigh, and it's February!

2010-02-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Friends! First, I know I have a lot of apologizing (and sewing!) to do. I'm behind! And dreadfully so! BUT! Tomorrow is Sunday, and I really think I can catch up. I really do. Really really.

And, to make matters worse, it's my month to mail out fabric! Am I prepared? Only partially... I have loads of beautiful fabric for which I had all the best intentions, but like so many things, I'm behind.

You see, I have a bun in the oven! Well truth be told, I'm 39 (!) weeks pregnant, so I have no time to waste! I've been commanded to be on the couch for the remainder of my pregnancy, but I've been letting myself sneak off to take care of things in the mornings, and tomorrow it will be this! I can't wait!

We're having a boy sometime this month, and we're terribly excited. I have these lovely fabrics, which I intended to make bibs and little things out of, but I now can't do it -- what if I make said bibs and we don't use them? I'll be heartbroken. A beautiful quilt on the other hand? Sure to be used! Voila!

I've used gray, yellow and white in our bedroom for the baby, so I'm going to use what I have on hand, in gray and white, to send you along with the super cute prints. I don't mind at all if you add from your stash, if you'd like.

My style in quilts is simple, modern, and not especially sophisticated... I love this one:

Well, I love everything she does...

And here are the fabrics I'm sending out! I totally love them...

If you don't use all of the prints, I'd love to have them back if there's enough to salvage... thanks!

Thanks too for being patient with me, and I apologize for being a behind-the-ball-quilt-bee participant. Tomorrow is sewing day and chances are I'll have a lot more to post! : ) Thank you in advance for lovely blocks for our little boy!

Red crosses

2010-02-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

This is the first time I've made cross blocks, even though they've been everywhere in blogland. I kept going until I ran out of white, so I ended up making three. They were pretty simple to make, but a little tricky for me because I am not the best at working with small pieces. Also, I normally press all seams open, but it didn't seem appropriate for these blocks. I ended up pressing them in whichever direction worked best, so the backs seem kind of a mess. But they lay flat... I guess that's all that matters. I had fun with this little project - Thanks Jacquie!

Autumn

2010-02-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Oh Rossie, you must think I'm an airhead. I mailed this block off ages ago and could have sworn I posted it. Guess not.

The word I chose for you is my favorite season, autumn. The hardest part of the whole challenge was settling on a word. It's amazing how many phrases or words I was able to convince myself might be used by someone else or could (even remotely) be considered religious or nationalistic. Turns out autumn was my first choice over any of the others I thought of. I love the colors, the weather, the way the air smells at that time of year.

After mailing this to you I realized that perhaps I was not supposed to border the block on the top and bottom, so I hope that hasn't been a problem. I'm looking forward to seeing all the messages you collect from all your "bee" friends.

books for Carissa

2010-02-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

I agree with Jess...I totally want to make one of these quilts for myself. I had fun digging through my stash to find fabric strips for this. I think this ended up being a little bit longer than 30", so I had just the right amount of white for this block.

Books for Carissa

2010-02-03T07:41:00.000-08:00

These three blocks are various widths. I found my blocks became wonkier the wider they got, so I kept them in three shorter lengths that Carissa can combine with others however she likes.

I love this idea. I am seriously thinking about using this design to make a quilt for my son’s Kindy teacher (she is a book lover). Also, Carissa sent her fabric in the cutest packaging ever! It was very popular with the monster-loving little boys at my house.

All Caught Up

2010-01-28T12:02:00.001-08:00

January...Peace and Comfort

2010-01-27T04:58:00.000-08:00

My fabric is on the way to you. In your package you'll find some muslin/kona bone and some red scraps. I am planning a quilt inspired by this one. I would love for you to make me one or more red cross blocks. I'd like the blocks to be 6.5" square. The crosses can extend to the edge of the block or they can float in the muslin...they can be centered or not...fat or skinny or a combo of both. The crosses can be a combination of the fabrics, pieced or one fabric. Feel free to innovate the shape of your cross. I love the curvy, improv feeling of these crosses. As long as it reads as a red cross, it'll be great! You can see some of the crosses close up here.
I'm going to combine these in some way with Alexander Henry's black and red peace fabric. Not quite sure how yet, but that will come.
feel free to add your own fabric...little touches of black would be cool too.

looking forward to seeing your blocks!

i probably sent way more fabric than you need, but i wanted you to have some choices..keep the extra, send it back. whatever, works for me.

Squares for Rebekah

2010-01-27T00:17:00.000-08:00

Originally I had not planned to do any embroidery, but after I finished the blocks, I felt that they would probably benefit from a little more embellishment. So I added a little running stitch around the maroon solid. I’m happy with how they turned out.

I did not add much of my own fabric to these blocks, because the fabric Rebekah sent was so pretty together already. I did add a few little bits – I have to admit that I love the tiny black polka-dot square (see pic below).

Block for Rossie - October

2010-01-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here is Rossie's block for October. What a neat concept for a quilt! I love the pictures of the inspiration quilt in her post. I did have a hard time settling on a word or phrase, but eventually I went with "there will be time". This comes from a T.S. Eliot poem, & is a phrase I often repeat to myself when it just seems that there is too much to do. It reminds me to slow down & live in the moment.

Thanks for the fun challenge!

bookshelf for carissa

2010-01-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks for choosing this block, Carissa. So fun to make! I hope the scraps I used work for you.

On another note, January is my month. My question for all of you is, should I go ahead and send my fabrics or should I wait a bit for folks to catch up? Let me know, I'm good either way.

A fabric bookshelf

2010-01-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

I finished up Carissa's block last weekend and it's in the mail, heading to her now.

I hope I matched the fabrics enough to your color scheme, Carissa!

It was a little hard to photograph so I just did sections of it - I ran out of white so didn't get the full 30" but it's close...

looking for your help

2010-01-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

If you have a moment to spare, please stop by here and throw in your two cents.

I'm getting ready to put my round one quilt together and could use your thoughts.

Thanks!

details, details...

2010-01-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

I finally have some fabric parceled out for each of you. I just need to add in the white and pop it in the mail--hopefully by monday. because everyone will only get a small selection of fabrics, I thought I'd show you the range of what i picked out of my own stash to use. do these photos help?

Final measurement requests: please make a block that is 12" high and up to 30" long. If you'd rather make two 15" long pieces or 3 10" long pieces, or if you don't feel like making a strip longer than 12" (or if the fabric I've sent plus the scraps from your stash don't make anything longer than that) then that's okay by me too. I'll create whatever i need to finish off the quilt. the colored strips should all line up on the "bottom" edge of the block(s), but they should all be different heights with the difference made up (to make the full 12" height) with white fabric. If one or maybe two of the colored strips is the full 12" height, that's fine. Thickness of the strips can (and preferably should) vary as well. I'm hoping that these instructions (plus the diagram I posted before) will be clear. If anyone needs more explanation, or has questions, please let me know. I'm very excited to see the blocks you create!

Way overdue

2010-01-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

I sent them all a long time ago (way back in 2009-ha ha!) but never posted about them here...

Amy's blocks...

and Rebekah's blocks..

Both were so fun and loved the fabric selections. Can't wait to see everyone's quilt ideas in 2010!

Rebekah's Block from November

2010-01-08T03:54:00.000-08:00

This is my first post on Common Threads, because I'm fairly new to the group. My invite to be an author was sent to an email I hardly use which also gets clogged with lots of stuff, so I missed it. By the time I saw it, it was expired. Okay. Long, boring story. Here's Rebekah's block. Inspiration? Bathroom vanity cabinets.

I just love her colors, and I especially love the butterfly fabric.

not so good with math, late at night

2010-01-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

if you're reading this over an RSS feed, just a heads-up that I've gone in and edited the measurements I originally listed in the post last night. I originally got the approximate quilt dimensions from some unreliable online source and then this morning when I actually measured my bed and then looked at a package of queen-size batting, I realized that the measurements I'd been working with would have made an eNORmous quilt, so I went back in and tweaked my numbers. I'll be sure to send out the correct numbers with my fabrics. sorry for any confusion.

better late than really, really late

2010-01-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

I don't know how this past December was in your lives, but mine felt very busy. Everything non-essential went flying out the window and I'm afraid that sending out fabric to you, my Common Threads buddies, didn't make the cut. And so now, here it is, a few days into January, and I'm finally getting around to thinking about this project. Let me tell you what I've got so far.

This summer, my husband and I realized that we need a lightweight, summer quilt for our bed. We've got comforters galore (hello, Wisconsin!) but on warm (but not yet stiflingly hot) summer nights, we'd like to have just a nice, thin quilt to cover ourselves. I've been admiring the bookstack quilts that have been cropping up on flickr (and even on the blogs of our own jacquie and amber!) but i wanted to try a slightly different twist on that theme. see, those bookstacks remind me of the stacks of books sitting beside my bed waiting to be read and although i looooooove reading, having THAT many books on the stack would really stress me out (so many books, so little time!), so I'd prefer it if they were in neat and tidy rows on shelves, appearing to have already been read, or at least waiting more patiently than the stacked books. and so i've created this sketch:

(I have no idea where that bottom black line went.) As you can see from the sketch, i'm not interested in a LITERAL bookshelf quilt. No cutesy knick-knacks, no books leaning on other books, no cats peeking out from behind the books, no strips of faux wood-grain..... just lovely random-height vertical strips of fabric, lined up on the bottom edge and with plenty of white space in between.

Here's the thing... I"m hoping that I can entreat you all to dig into your stash to help me come up with a lovely assortment of fabrics. I'll send you a few prints, plus plenty of white, and invite you to add your own scraps and strips to make other "books" to add to my shelf. I'm hoping for mostly modern prints in bold colors (similar-ish to the sketch--at least in value). If your stash is full of vintage pastel or country prints, please write me a quick e-mail and when I pack up the fabrics to send out, I"ll be sure to send you more fabrics from my own stash. I'm still fiddling with the measurements (am I REALLY crazy enough to try to quilt a queen size quilt in my own little sewing machine?) but I'm thinking that I'd like each of you to create a strip of 'books' up to 30" long, and 12" high. You could also create 2 or 3 smaller strips (still 12" high, but a different length) if you'd prefer.

Since this project is still in the design phase, I'm open to suggestions for tweaking the plan. I love it when projects allow for some room for creativity and this one seems a little straightforward to me.... Thoughts from you? Maybe a few book titles embroidered on spines? (or would that tip the design over into cutesy kitsch?) Is the freedom to choose fabrics and book height/thickness room for enough creativity?

Questions? Does this design idea make sense?

p.s. I'll try to have my fabrics sent out SOON so as not to overlap with Jacquie's month too terribly! (thanks for your flexibility, Jacquie!)

Rectangles for Rebekah

2009-12-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

My resolution for the new year is to get my bee blocks done on time. I'm hoping that if I write it publicly it might really happen. Thanks for the fab fabrics to work with Rebekah. I sure had fun with this block.

a butterfly for Rebekah

2009-12-08T18:02:00.001-08:00

Rebekah's request for embroidery inspired me! I freezer-paper-stenciled the butterfly on, then just did the tiniest little bit of embroidery as an accent. I could have posted it sooner, but I wanted her to be surprised. She e-mailed me today to say that she'd gotten it (and apparently she DOES like it!), so I can now safely post these photos.Thanks for the fun fabric and fun assignment, Rebekah!

Squares for Amy

2009-11-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

I made six blocks for Amy this morning. Yes, thankyouverymuch, I know that it is almost the end of November. I think there is a reason I tend to make (purposely) crooked blocks... I'm not so good at straight ones. :)

These are my favorite two. The first is 12.5" & the second is 6.5".

blocks for rossie and amy (finally!)

2009-11-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

first, since she's been waiting longer, here are my squares for amy. i had lots of fun working with the fabrics she sent and adding in my own pieces as well. i especially love the center block featured above with the center of the flower. oh, and the tiny blocks were surprisingly challenging! who knew it would be so hard to sew a small block? fun, nevertheless! here's another shot where you can see all five blocks i made:
tonight i finally finished rossie's blocks!

my phrase is "be peace" which are the same words printed on my favorite necklace. they are also a shortened version of gandhi's suggestion that we should all "be the peace you want to see in the world." my quote has lots of letter "e's" and i struggled with the code's instructions to leave them as blank squares--how can you then tell the difference between a space and an "e"? so i outlined my e-blocks with a thin red line. which may end up disappearing after the seams are created that incorporate the phrase into the quilt. oh well. lovely rich over-dyed fabrics, rossie!

Rebekah's blocks for November

2009-11-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

I mailed out the fabric for my month this evening, so here are the directions for the blocks.

I'd like you to make a 15" block that features squares and rectangles, but is not made with nesting squares or log cabins. Here's a mosaic of quilt inspiration.

I included 5 different prints and 2-3 solid fabrics in each package. One of the solids is a large piece, so if you could make the large piece that you receive the predominant color, that would be great. I'm going to be putting the blocks together with a grey solid once I receive them all.

If you want to add some embroidery or machine stitching to the block, I would love it, but a "plain" block is great too.

If you have any questions or need more fabric, let me know!

Blocks for Amy and Rossie

2009-11-02T16:29:00.001-08:00

I got down to business yesterday and made these blocks for Amy and Rossie.

Three blocks for Amy (12.5, 6.5 and 3.5)

And one long strip for Rossie. I was wracking my brain trying to come up with the perfect quote and I even browsed the Yale Book of Quotations, but I couldn't find any good short phrases. I think my cats were trying to give me some hints because they were climbing on my lap and sewing machine while I was trying to come up with a quote. So, the blocks say their names: "Shinji" and "NukuNuku." They are japanese names, so I thought they'd work with a quilt by a japanese designer. I sewed the two names together and the blocks are 3.5" tall, but they are a little longer than 2 feet wide, so you might need to rip them apart if they're too long, Rossie.

October for Rossie

2009-11-02T11:20:00.001-08:00

It was deciding on a phrase that stumped me on this one, but Halloween night as I was staring at the fabric it came to me. Common Threads. So here you go. I didn't put it together because it's longer than you requested. Actually, much longer. I thought maybe you could put them like this to make the phrase. My mistake...i thought...two word phrase...I can make the blocks 6 inches. I hope you can use them like they are.

Pura Vida

2009-10-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

I finished up Rossie's blocks today:

Aloha...

and Pura Vida....

(I had to fold this phrase up to fit in the picture)

I made 5" blocks for Aloha and 4" for Pura Vida - this was so fun Rossie!

I can't wait to see your quilt!

Finished Blocks

2009-10-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

I finished up Amy's blocks yesterday...

I love this quilt pattern and can't wait to see it all put together.

I made 2 each of the 2", 3 1/2" and 6 1/2" blocks...

and one 12 1/2" block.

opposites for Amy

2009-10-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

These are set to be mailed off to Amy later this week.

I opted for the largest size block (12.5") and the smallest (2"). I'm always surprised at how quickly a large log cabin style block will use up fabric. It's easy to forget that those sides get longer fast. That little one with the center dot makes me smile though.

Amy, I hope these get you a little bit closer to a finished quilt top!

Ready for October!

2009-10-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here are your blocks Amy. I had fun making them again. I made blocks until I ran out of fabric. No big one this time. I can't wait to see this quilt come together!

I think I forgot to post Amber's block from August...oops! Love those tiny shrooms and as usual, great colors, great fabrics!

October is upon us!

2009-10-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yay! It’s my turn! I am making a quilt like this:

That's a Yoshiko Jinzenji quilt from her book “Simple Quilts.” Genius, huh? I'm making one for my bed. What I need help making are blocks like this:

The trick is, these blocks spell out words using a code! I will mail the fabric out in the morning; included are more detailed instructions and the code.

I hope you enjoy making these: they look more difficult to construct than they are—you just have to dive in! The fabrics are Kona Cottons, which I've over-dyed just a smidgen for a richer, more organic look.

(that says WILD) your blocks will look like this, except longer.

I can't wait to see what you make!
-Rossie

Kaffe blocks for Amy

2009-09-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

I had a backlog of podcasts to listen to, so I may have gone overboard when I made five blocks for Amy. What can I say? These were really fun and easy to make.

I had some pre-cuts from the Neptune line in my scrap pile, so I mixed those in with Amy's choices.

Amy, I hope you like them; my favorite is the one on the top of this pile. My least favorite is that big one...I wish I had thrown a warm fabric in there somewhere. Oh well!

October is my month; fabrics will go out this weekend!

-Rossie

Half & half

2009-09-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

I've been enamored with this quilt ever since I saw it on Flickr a while ago. Needless to say, I was excited to see it included in Amber's inspirational pictures for her block this month.

This is the first block I've ever made for a virtual quilting bee. I'm sorry it's a little late. I hope you like it!

Amber's Block

2009-09-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe round one is over. Here's my start for round two:

I love how Amber puts so many prints together. She forces me to look at fabric in a different way and I'm always happy with what comes out in the end. I went with a wonky log cabin, but this time forced myself to mix it up a little more with varying log sizes and piecing logs together. I also left my rotary cutter alone until it was time to square the final block. I have to admit that I wasn't able to completely abandon my need to plan all of this, but I did go with the flow. When that bottom row didn't quite work out like I wanted, I just added to it with what I had left of another color. Surprise, the world did not come to an end ; )

*Don't worry Amber, that little dot on the blue fabric is just a droplet of dew, not a stain.

farewell, round one; hello, round two!

2009-08-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the last block for round one--Lisa's block! i chose to feature the butterfly in mine.
And since I had the fabric for both, I decided to do them both at the same time.they turned out oddly similar somehow... something about it doesn't feel quite right to me, so if you decide to change it up a little, Amber, I won't be offended. :)

thanks for letting us play with the mushroom print!

mushroom in the middle

2009-08-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here's my block for you, Amber! I love the fabrics you chose.

I put a mushroom in the middle and a few nearby to keep it company.

I hope you like it! Any tips for how I should package this thing so it arrives safely? I've never mailed a quilting block.

-Rossie

new blocks

2009-08-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here are two blocks I made for Lisa and Amber...

First up is my monkey block for Lisa. This block is a lot larger than 12". Lisa, you can just trim it down to the size you like and go off center or centered when you get the block.

And here's Amber's block. I tried to get the fabric piece as close to the center as I could, but I was having too much fun playing around with stripes, so it's a little off kilter.

And, the close-up shot...

Another Squirrel

2009-08-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

I guess it's fitting that the last block for Common Threads (1) was the most challenging for me. I'm not sure if it was a trying to keep things symmetrical or the variety of weights in the fabrics, or a combination, but this block gave me a really hard time. I sent a ton of fabrics back with this block, so hopefully if you don't like it you can add some more strips! The squirrel does seem happy to be in the center though.

I have too many commitments to continue on with Common Threads 2, so thank you to everyone for this past year. I have learned so much and am constantly amazed by all the blocks made by this group! Have fun with the next round.

monkey block

2009-08-06T19:40:00.001-07:00

Here's my block for Lisa:

It was oddly challenging for me - I kept wanting to make it asymmetrical. I hope you like it, Lisa!

So I've opted out of round 2, so I'd like to just say thanks to everyone for a great year of quilt block fun! I love the blocks you've made for me, and I've really enjoyed making the blocks the other months.

A Little Squirrely

2009-08-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

I got the squirrel. I think he's totally cute nibbling on the flowers. I'm not sure I achieved symmetry, but I hope it works for you anyway.
Totally looking forward to round 2!

Round 2?

2009-07-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Is everyone ready? Or almost ready?

I am sending out the fabric this weekend and have made a mo saic on Flikr to give you some ideas but I am open to your creativity too.

I am sending a small square of this fabulous fabric that I would like for you to use in the center of each block (or sorta center) and how do 12" x 12" blocks sound?

You can feel free to add in any other fabrics you want and if you need more of any of the fabrics I send just let me know.

Can't wait to see what you guys create!

For Lisa

2009-07-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe we've made it to the final block of round one!

This one's for Lisa:

I had the monkey in my fabric so tried to keep him front and center and then just do a log cabin block around that. Hope it's ok!

Can't wait for round 2!!

the story of a quilt...continued...

2009-07-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

I dropped in on my boys today...Jon and I had some college things to do together. While I waited for him to get ready I, being the 'good mom,' decided to fold laundry to kill time. When I opened the dryer I found Jon's quilt all clean and fluffy. As I was folding I spotted this.

I almost fell over. I can't believe it happened again. It's my fault really. Bless the boy for doing his laundry and more points for washing his bedding. I neglected to tell him not to put this quilt in that compact washer.

It looks like I'll be ripping this quilt apart again. Maybe, hopefully, with any luck, the third time will be the charm.

wendy

2009-07-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Is it possible? Can I really be the first one to get this block done? It only took me 12 rounds to be this timely.

Lisa said she'd liked log cabins, symmetry and wanted the print featured in each block.

I settled on the courthouse steps version of a log cabin block with the floral motif as the center. The placement of the colors was determined by the scrap sizes. There were animals in the print fabric, so I decided to add the squirrel that was on my piece with some machine applique. Lisa, I hope he doesn't throw the symmetry off too much.

The Last Block

2009-07-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hello, Ladies. Well, I finally managed to cut up my material and now just have to package it up and get it in the mail. It will go out to all of you by Saturday at the latest. I know this to be true because I am taking the summer off and subletting my apartment and I have to be out by Saturday. :). I can't say that I have a favorite pattern and I encourage everyone to be creative. Most of the print pieces have a monkey, bird, butterfly or squirrel in them, so I envision those characters being the main attraction for the block. I like the log-cabin pattern a lot and I also like blocks that are symmetrical. But, again, just have fun and if you have a favorite style, feel free to use that style for the block. I will use the quilt to cover my (red) couch, and the blocks should be 12x12. Thanks and I look forward to seeing all of your creations!

A Very late Block For Melody

2009-07-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

This is the very last block and for some reason I had the hardest time deciding how to finish this off. However, this morning I was inspired...and I am happy to have finished it. I will get it in the mail today. I hope she likes it.

Wendy's Blocks

2009-06-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Super late, but these really were great to make. The fabrics had such wonderful, rich saturated colors.

Since all the fabrics were solids, it really forced me to think more about the design than the fabric. Ever notice that sometimes we let designer fabrics do the work for us? I'm realizing that more and more, especially after having a blast with these solids! Hope Wendy likes!

The Story of Jon's Quilt

2009-05-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Modern, minimal, masculine is completed. Here it is on Jon's bed in the cave (his basement room). It's perfect and I can't thank you all enough for the effort you put into your blocks. He hasn't seen it yet, but I know he's going to love it.
Here's the guy you made it for. His future is bright! I'm a happy mom that he'll be wrapped in a quilt made by all of us.
The quilt has had a few renditions since I first posted the top. I took it apart a couple of weeks ago and did a redesign. I paired some of the blocks and framed them as pairs for the top section and for the bottom section, framed the blocks individually.
I really like how the vertical pairs add interest to the quilt and I love how the pairs relate to each other. It's quilted with simple straight lines which I think adds to the modern feel. The quilt fits his double bed perfectly. The back is snuggly, chocolate brown flannel.
Now, for the sad part of the story. I finished the quilt last week in time for graduation on Saturday. I popped it in the washer and when I took it out of the dryer I found one of the blocks had disintegrated. Liz, I'm so sad to say it was your circle block. It didn't have a thing to do with the block's construction because that's not where it ripped. I think it must have caught in the washer and just ripped and ripped. This is the replacement block. I had to take out about a fourth of the quilting and tear the top apart to insert the new block. It wasn't easy, but I'm so happy that I was able to repair it. I had an extra block, but I had already used it to make a pillow sham for him. I didn't want to rip that apart, so I used a block that I had made for a project improv quilt that wasn't in a top yet. It was made from scraps you all sent back, so I think it fits.
Though I'm sad that the quilt isn't the original, I think the washing disaster makes the quilt even more special to me and I hope to Jon. You all did beautiful work and helped me make the perfect quilt for him. Thank you.

A couple late blocks for Wendy!

2009-05-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry these are late. I was a little nervous with them at first because there are so many colors, but it was fun! I played with scale on these two. They look like they're different sizes, but they're really both 10.5 inches!

Hope you like them!