Sunday, August 24, 2008

Flying Squares

This weekend was not very productive quilt-wise.

Sometimes I get stuck in an inspirationless void. That is where I was this weekend. On Saturday morning, I spent some time surfing the Internet looking for that spark that would get me motivated. I did find some ideas for using up some of my scraps but grocery shopping and errands found their way ahead of quilting that day.

Saturday night I sat down in the studio in front of my sewing machine and pieced strings onto foundations. This is quite mindless sewing and something I rely on it when I am not sure what else to work on. At lease if I am working on using the bits in the string bin, I feel productive because i am using up bits of fabric that I have been saving for a while.

I spent some time this morning trying to figure out how a particular scrap quilt was constructed. I had printed a picture off of the Internet at one time and it was pasted into my inspiration book. It was made from squares and rectangles. I finally sketched it out onto paper and made note of the construction steps.

Later on I was chatting with LindaJ on line and I showed her a scan of the quilt that had piqued my interest. LindaJ recognized the quilt block and said it was called Flying Squares. LindaJ said that this is a very old pattern printed in about 1895. This is a link the Quilter's Cache site if you are interested in making this block.

http://www.quilterscache.com/F/FlyingSquaresBlock.html

The picture t the top of this post is of the first four blocks that I made today. My blocks are sashed on the left and bottom sides with 2 1/2" squares. I am adding the sashing as I piece the blocks.

I am using 2 1/2" squares from one of my pre-cut squares bins. I have not found it particularly useful to have a stash of pre-cut 2 1/2" squares on hand so I don't cut them anymore. I would really like to use up the bin of squares already cut so making this quilt will help.

7 comments:

  1. I like it a lot. I would never have guessed how it was made. It may go on my to-do list of scrap quilts.

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  2. I too have put this on my to do list. I really like this block!

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  3. These look wonderful, Norma! The black is so striking with the colored squares like your inspirational clipping.

    It is those pieces sashing squares that make one wonder just how this thing went together which to me, translates into a "just how did she make this?" moment. LOL, in this case I happen to know how!

    Have fun with it and I hope it gets you out of the sewing funk.

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  4. The construction had me completely baffled, until I followed the Quilters Cache link you gave! Will be wonderful with all the bright colours contrasting with the black :)

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  5. Well, I always wondered how to set that quilt pattern together. Looks like a very interesting quilt.

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  6. what fun blocks Norma, glad you found your piecing mojo!

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  7. That's what I thought the pattern was, but I'd probably make one of the outside a little differently, simply because I hate piecing those offset squares. =) Your example looks great, and I love the way you used the black for the larger pieces. Really sets of the others, of course!

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