16 patch

16 patch
Block finishes 10 inches

I plan to set it 8 by 9, to finish 80 by 90 inches, so 72 blocks needed.

Solid: cut eight 3 inch squares

Print: cut eight 3 inch squares

Sew into sets of four. Press each set towards the side that ends with a print.

Seams will nest.

Then press all to one side.

I make sure each block finishes with a solid in the left upper corner.

Setting will involve flipping every other row so all seams will nest.

I make my blocks out of squares as I am using scraps of fabric, not yardage.

Wanda Hanson has a great tutorial in making an 8 inch block using strips from yardage.

https://exuberantcolor.blogspot.com/2013/07/16-patch-tutorial.html

I love the 16 patch block. Such a wonderfully strong grid, then the colors of the blocks shake it up.
It looks great on a small scale or large scale. I made this one several years ago from reclaimed fabric of plaid shirts. These blocks finished 6 inches and were made from 2 inch cut squares.

mom's quilts

My sisters and I gathered in May to do paperwork and distribute our mother's possessions. We had tea using her teacups.
Chairs and equipment went to elderly relatives. Clothes went to a memory care patient of a granddaughter. 

Photographs are a minefield of emotions we deferred for another time.

The quilts went into several piles--for each of us and for our children and grandchildren. There were a few that mom made herself; most were made by me.

We chose one I made for mom to give her caregiver  Gwen who was a cheerful visitor to our mother every evening. 

We also pulled one patriotic one I had made for my father to go to our friend Hugo who became a US citizen this spring. Our country is better with him.

I wrote a friend, also a nurse, who was asking how I was doing:
"For years I have been telling my hospice families that our archetypes of Father=Protection and Mother=Life go far beyond our love of the person. Living that now. I can let mom go. I cannot let go of needing a mother."

thank you, Julie

I am traveling and a bit out of the loop.
I now find the wonderful Julie also mentioned me in her delightful blog Julie K Quilts, which also adds to the stats jump:
http://juliekquilts.blogspot.com/2019/06/monday.html

Julie's wonderful blog is a special place for me to read each day. She is also a nurse and includes nursing stories with her quilt posts. I have shared some of these stories with my nursing students.
http://juliekquilts.blogspot.com

thank you, Wanda

The wonderful Wanda Hanson of Exuberant Color mentioned me in her blog Tuesday.
https://exuberantcolor.blogspot.com/2019/06/an-inspiring-blog-to-visit.html

Want to see what happens to blog stats when Wanda mentions you?

Wanda has been an inspiration for me for decades. I wrote about her seven years ago:
https://kleinmeisjequilts.blogspot.com/2012/02/exuberant-color.html
Her approach of viewing our quiltmaking with respect resonated with me.

A day that begins with reading Wanda's blog is a good day.
https://exuberantcolor.blogspot.com/

alphabet, top completed

Alphabet
63 by 99 inches
Made using the alphabet from McCallsQuilting.com with several re-drafts and construction changes.
https://www.quiltingcompany.com/Quilt/best-day-ever-free-alphabet-characters-block-patterns/
As written, blocks finish 10 1/2 by 6 inches.
I added 2 inch cut sashings to have the blocks finish 9 by 13 1/2 inches.

26 letters, I added sixteen cut 9 1/2 by 14 inch blocks to the layout, then added top and bottom rows of seven 9 1/2 inch blocks.
Use my setting at your pleasure.

Alice in Wonderland, baseball, celestial, dog, egg, fairy, giraffe, honeycomb, iris, jumprope, kitten, lamp, maple, nautilus, owl, popcorn, Queen Anne's Lace, robot, Scrabble, tulip, umbrella, volcano, woods, fox, yarn, zebra.

If you know of a pieced Cyrillic alphabet, please let me know!

stacked bricks

Stacked bricks
Block finishes 8 by 12 inches

Cutting
Print: six rectangles 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches
Solid: six rectangles 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches
Pressing
After sewing each half block, press to the side that ends with a print. The block pieces will next.
Then press towards one direction.
Flip blocks by rows so each row alternates pressing right or left.

Planning to set these 10 by 8, finishing at about 80 by 96 inches.
My design, use at your pleasure.

chevron

Chevron
Block finishes 7 1/2 inches

Cutting
Print: from 3 1/2 inch strip cut 3 1/2 inch square, 5 inch rectangle, and 9 inch rectangle
Solid: from 2 inch strip cut 3 1/2 inch rectangle and 5 inch rectangle.
Pressing
Press away from 3 inch square.
I am waiting with pressing the final rectangle until I decide on my setting plan
My design, use at your pleasure.