April Modern Block and the Finale

Yesterday was the last class of our year long Modern Block class.  We introduced students to 21 blocks, many techniques and the modern quilt movement.   I can't believe its April already and its now over.

This is the final block - "House on a Hill".  It was the introduction to raw edge applique.

I ended up using this block as my label for the quilt.  I wrote the particulars in the space under the house.  

I decided to make up two different settings for my 21 blocks and make a two sided quilt. 

This is what I came up with for one side:

And this is the second side - my favorite setting!

I used Kona Navy for my background and used up some scraps for the binding.  I had a local machine quilter, Shelly Nolte, quilt it for me with an all over pattern.  I used a wool batt which gives it a bit more loft than normal.  I really love it.   

International Quilting Day

Today is International Quilting Day and SewCalGal is hosting a virtual Sew-cial.  We are suppose to share our sewing day.  I have my 8 year old grand son over for the day and he wanted to finish the I Spy quilt he started the last time he was over by himself.    That means I can combine many things I love -- loving on a grand kid, teaching and quilting!

Here he is from the last visit with his squares on the design wall and sewing rows together.

 

We used a fleece blanket for the back and no batting. I sewed it together like a pillow and turned it.  Then we machine quilted over the seam lines in a wavy pattern.  Here he is learning some of the machine quilting.

Good hand placement!  :)

Look Mom...I'm doing it myself!   

All done!!!!   

I'm sure he is as proud of himself as I am of him!

Working with kids takes a lot of patience and a lot of letting go.  My theory is develop the love of something and excellence comes after.  

Hope your day is full of fun sewing.

Stargazing block fun

First a little back story.  One of our students, Dorothy, in the Modern Block class is a hand sewer and applique Queen.  Piecing on the machine is often a challenge for her.  And she LOVES little things.  She has often made her blocks smaller than 12 inches.  

While another student, Elizabeth, was making the smallest star in Stargazing (its 3 inches) last month, she commented on how she would never want to make anything smaller.  

This is Elizabeth's "Stargazing" block:

Dorothy said sure, why not? I could go smaller.  We all knew she was serious and could do it!

Here is Dorothy's "Stargazing" block version.  Its only 8 inches and those two tiny stars are 1.5 inches!

Elizabeth then decided to go the opposite direction and she made a large version:

This was made with a layer cake. She used the same piecing process as the block pattern. I didn't measure it but the middle of that big star is a 9.5 inches. I'm pretty sure the smaller ones are 6 inches each.

  It was great to see these two ladies have fun playing with the block.  This is what I love about teaching!!!

March Modern Blocks

Wow!  We're almost done with this year long adventure of making blocks from the Modern Blocks book.  One month to go!   

March class was about revisiting our earliest skills learned.

This block is called "Envy" and was about partial seams again.  

This block is called "Mondrian" and was about precision piecing - lots of seams.

I didn't take student pics this time as I plan to do so next month during our final class.  But I did get some pics of last months block "Stargazing" that I will share in another post.  Two students had fun with it and you'll enjoy seeing what they did.  :)

January & February Modern Blocks

I forgot  to post pictures of my blocks for the class I co-teach using the Modern Blocks book.  So its two months worth again!

January's class focus was half square triangles. 

This is called "Diamond Ripples"....lots of practice here as there are 36 bias squares in this block!  I do love the scrappy look.  I only changed the bottom left hand corner.

This one is called "Front and Center".    

Our students didn't have any trouble with either of these blocks.

February was an introduction to wonky stars.   These were fun blocks to make.  Most of the students did ok with the technique and enjoyed it.  

This is called "Stargazing".  I loved making this block.  I even made another for a comfort quilt being made for an online friend.   I made no changes.

This one is called "Three Wishes".  The pattern calls for a little star in very center but I chose just to leave it plain.  I loved the long wonky points in the frame of  the block.  I'd like to do that with a whole quilts worth of blocks!

We only have two months left and then we're done.  Can't believe our year is almost done.  I will make my final blocks on retreat next week.  I already have my favorites picked out for a top and will piece that at retreat also.  

More pics to come!

P.S.  Quilted Strait (where we teach) wrote a nice blog post on our class that some of our students blocks.  Take a peek.  :)

October & November Modern Blocks

I keep forgetting to post about the latest Modern Block class blocks.   

Octobers class focus was on paper piecing.  One method was on paper, the other on freezer paper.  It was a challenging class and no "love" was had for paper piecing!  That's what this class is all about - exposure!   :)

This one I already showed on the Dot blog hop.  Called "Blue Specs". It was paper pieced on Carol Doak paper (ripped off easier than copy paper).  I altered the pattern a bit by making the glasses frame narrower. And by enlarging only to 195% (rather than 200% as the pattern calls fro) to fit on a single piece of paper in my printer.

This one is called "Free Wheeling" and was pieced onto freezer paper.  I liked how the freezer paper holds the fabric down but it tears a bit harder so you have to be really careful of your stitches.

For November our focus was on piecing half rectangle triangles and isosceles triangles.  My favorite method is to use the Tri-Rec tool so this is how we taught it....skipping the paper templates.  The gals enjoyed these blocks.

This is called "Box Kite".   It is all half rectangle triangles.  

And this is called "Diamond Triptych" and has two half rectangle triangles sewn to either side of an isosceles triangle. 

I made it again in my alternate fabrics and pieced it differently.  I sewed all isosceles triangles with the half  rectangle triangles only on the ends.  I like it this way better because there is no seam line between the background fabric.  Looks cleaner.

That's it.  Now I'm all caught up showing my Modern Blocks.  We don't have class in December so will be back with more in January.  :)

September Modern Blocks

 This is called "Missing Your Kiss".  Our first lesson in wonky type piecing.  There was a cutting error in my book that I alerted the students to. But apparently it was caught and fixed in subsequent printings.  Some of the students had the same printing as I did, and some the newer books.  So far that is the first error we've seen.

This one is called "In the Window".  I really liked making it.  I had some acrylic templates for the curved parts that I used instead of the one in the book.  It made my circle a tad bigger but the look is essentially the same.  

Students don't generally have time in class to finish each block which means I have to wait until the following month to see their creations.  I am so impressed with their progression and creativity.

Here are just a couple from this last time:

Dorothy is scaling down many of the blocks.  Here she made "Stuck in the Middle" at 6 inches and put four together to make a 12 inch block.   

This is Glee's "Fussy Cut" block.  She didn't like the yellow she used so she painted  over it.  Our first surface embellishment!

I'm learning too!  I am excited each month to share new techniques and see what the class came up with from last months.

August's Modern Blocks

I forgot to take pictures of my blocks with my camera so had to do so with my phone during class.  Forgetting things seems to be the theme of my life ever since I entered my 50's!!!      They're a little blurry but that's ok...you'll get the gist.   :)

 This is Selvage Strings.  I matched up my center strings rather than letting them be random sizes.  And while the outside strings are random sizes I did put the same background in all four corners.  

This is Fussy Cut.  The only thing I did different for this block was not put a fussy cut square in the two corners.  This was a fun block to make.  :)

This is Fussy Cut in my alternate fabrics that I make for class demo's.  

I took a few pictures of our students blocks that they made last month.  I thought I'd show you the creativity that is blossoming!

Pinwheel block made with background as a four patch.

Pinwheel block made with strips pieced into the blades.

Fussy Cut block as a mini...she scaled it down to 6 inches!

That's it for August!   Next month we tackle wonky and curves....can't wait.

July's Modern Blocks

Here are the two blocks we taught in July's block of the month class at Quilted Strait.

This one is "Pinball Machine".  Instead of just two colors like in the book, I decided to use five.  Turned out nice I thought.

"Pinwheel"   This block was too plain for me so I had to mix it up.  Since Pinball Machine is a log cabin variation, I decided to make the pinwheel triangles in a log cabin fashion.  I also made the center circle smaller.  I really like how it turned out.

 This is "Pinball Machine" made in my alternate fabrics that I use to demo in class.  The outer border fabric was just a 10 inch square from a layer cake so I had to piece in some fussy cuts to make them long enough.  

I'm having so much fun making these blocks....and in seeing our students gain confidence to try new things and breaking out of the box.   :)

Modern Blocks Revisited

Each month that Rhonda and I teach the Modern Block of the Month class we make samples to hang in the shop the month before.  That way folks can know what we'll be doing and whether its a month they want to participate in.   I showed those blocks yesterday. 

On class day we each teach one of the blocks construction.  And for that block we make a second sample but don't sew it all together.  That way we can show how to do the various units.
I'm using a different set of fabrics for these.  I have collected lots of Aneela Hoey fabrics and am pairing them with solids and grays for backgrounds.

This is "Follow the Leader".  I fussy cut some triangles out of one fabric for the center to form a distinctive pinwheel.  I also rotated the flying geese to face away from the center in a single column rather than in pairs.  I love the way this change in construction looks.

This is "Best Friends".  I fussy cut a center...so cute.  I also pieced those inner rectangles rather than have them be one fabric.  I also love this change.

It's been fun to see what I can come up with to change the block a bit to show students how to make something their own.

Modern Blocks

Rhonda and I are teaching a year long block of the month class at Quilted Strait.  We are excited to journey alongside our students as we explore the Modern Quilt movement via the contributors in the book "Modern Blocks".

 The book covers all kinds of techniques and our students will have had a taste of all of them by the end of the year.   We choose two blocks each month to make in class....often teaching different methods of making units.  For example, using the "no waste" method of making 4 flying geese at once.

I'm using "Reunion" by Sweetwater for my fabric - with some "Circa 1934" by Cosmo Cricket and solids thrown in too.

Here are the blocks I've made so far:

"Best Friend" block.  1990 date in center is the year Rhonda and I met.

"Follow the Leader" block

"Boxed In" block.

"Meagan's Star" block.


So cute, right?    :)