True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it's thinking of yourself less.
~Rick Warren
Quilting
With a new set of cool colors, mainly blues and soft greens but also a few lavenders, it's time for a new block idea, too. Many versions of plus blocks caught my eye online last year so I decided to make my own version. Lucky for me, Nann sent me a surprise package of black, white and grey strips cut 1.5" wide when she gifted me a spare copy of Donald Hall's essays. And we're off.
Cutting the six-inch bases crosswise in both directions at 2.25" create an off-centered plus {or maybe the beginning of a plaid.} I enjoyed finding black, white or grey strips to fill in. And there were a few red squares set aside for a long-forgotten project that became the posts.
Off-centered plus blocks |
Here's the layout of the first set of blocks. Their wonky lineup looks great but unfortunately they will "straighten up" when sewn.
Plus block arrangement for a baby quilt |
Reading
A Promised Land, Barack Obama's latest book, explores his thoughts and post-presidential life. It's the first of a planned trilogy and covers his first run for state office through the bin Laden raid.
18 comments:
You could trim them a little to make them wonky. Just a thought. LOL
Yes, but then they'd be smaller. Next time perhaps.
I like these slightly off center plusses. I don't usually like plus quilts but this is just terrific! Good mix of fabrics and that off center bit
That set looks like it was fun to arrange and rearrange. The bright red center square ones caught my eye as a nice focus.
Loving the little bits of lavender thrown in!
Maybe you could make a straight version, then a wonky version. I like them a lot.
Wonky would be fun, but all lined up is great, too. Glad to play a small part in the project!
Blocks that aren't completely symmetrical have more setting variations. The colors make this work... and the fact that it's only a baby quilt size.
Thanks, Claire. I love bits of red.
It was fun to push the envelope a bit there.
That's a good idea. This is just a way to use up some of my scraps and get some quick baby quilts done. A more free-style version might be good as part of a medallion.
Your black and white strips came in very handy. Thanks for sending them. And now they are mostly used up. I may pass the final bits to someone else. The fabric will be more travelled than I!
Black, white and red can be the perfect uniting factor in this baby quilt. I love slight wonkiness. Normal is Boring :-D
Thanks, Preeti. It’s interesting to figure out how to use all the different scraps to their best effect. I will have to revisit this with a more freehand style.
It looks wonderful! Can I ask what size squares you used please?
Sorry. I thought I'd put that info in the post. The blue squares are 6". You could use any size, just cut them off-center, Clare.
Thanks for the cutting instructions. I love your blocks!
You’re welcome. You can easily adjust the measurements to your own scraps.
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