Topic: Quilting
As long as I have been quilting (not quite 10 years) I have been saving the leftover blocks from quilts I have made. Sometimes it was because the pattern changed along the way so I didn;t need all I had made, sometimes the process of making the block made more than the pattern called for.
I keep all of these in a case labeled 'Orphan Blocks' although it sometimes contains strips sets that were sewn but not needed or parts of blocks.
I decided to sort through that bin and start with a block as the focal piece and then build around it with other blocks, partial blocks and strip sets that either used the same fabric or was coordinating in color combinations.
This is the first one I completed. After the main image I will show where the original blocks came from and note their vintage!
The feature block in the center came from the same original quilt as the diagonal stripes.
These were leftover parts from a Celtic Knot quilt I made in April 2012.
The white block with the cathedral window was part of the border.
The angled stripe blocks werepart of what made up the knots.
When rummaging for coordinating bits I found some that originated in this Quilt made in May 2014.
Parts that came from this were used here in the new quilt:
I used leftover 9-patch blocks to make faux cathedral windows to mimic the center block.
The borders around the center block came from leftover strip sets.
All of that green background was also salvage. A local lady was a manufacture's representative who had 'books' of fabric samples to take to the fabric stores so they could order stock. When those books were outdated she would put them in a big yard sale and sell the swatches by the pound. The swatches were all random sizes so I used my Accuquilt to cut standard 6.5 inch blocks.
You can see that the angled stripes were not large enough so I framed them in the same fabric used on the cathedral blocks. That framing fabric is the WRONG side of fabric recently used on the All-American Style quilt made earlier this year.
I quilted the green background with leaves and vines and also carried that in a more linear fashion into the strips bordering the center block.
The cathedral squares got some echoing curves and straight line quartering. I used a looping meander around the center cathedral block.
And there you have it - my first orphan block recovery project.
Ddd
