Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Third Quilt Top from More Orphans

Yes, I am still playing around with my orphan blocks.  So far, I have explored three different approaches to sewing these blocks up.  First, I did a medallion style quilt.  Then I went on to finish a top done improve style - which I hope to share as a finish this Friday.


Now I can share using a third technique - which is just setting the blocks into a background.




I started this quilt top with these four blocks.



 I had a number of 12 1/2" blocks (or blocks that could easily be made into that size by framing) so I started filling up my design wall.  I had two groups of three blocks that I used for the top and bottom row.  I also pulled out some four patches I made from some strip sets and created some fun details to keep this quilt more rectangular.



 I had some colorwash cuttings I had saved and used them to frame some of the blocks in the middle section.  I also used a leftover strip set from a finished quilt to make this block a bit taller.  I thought the purple and blue balanced out the heart block really well.


Then it was just a matter of filling in the background.    I broke up the quilt into six horizontal sections, which made assembly pretty easy.  I used mostly 2.5 and 1.5" wide strips to separate the blocks and the rows.  I did use a directionally striped fabric for my background, which made the finishing a lot harder than it needed to be. (That seems to be how I roll!) 

I tried to focus on using my brightly colored and novelty scraps on this one. 

Yahoo...48 more orphan blocks found a home!
(I think 5 different quilters will see some of their handiwork included in this one.)

The top is now sewn, the backing is together, so all I need to do now is get it quilted up!






Linking Up:

Freemotion by the River (Linky Tuesday)

12 comments:

The Joyful Quilter said...

Looking forward to seeing this one finished up! Any chance you will post a photo of all three Orphan quilts together? It would be interesting to see them side by side.

EYSchmitt said...

Really like this! Love the horizontal layout.

Anonymous said...

Way cool! I like the way you think and design!

Barb Neiwert said...

You are on a roll! Have you made a dent in your Orphan Trunk yet? I would think you can see the bottom now?

JOY @ http://joysjotsshots.blogspot.com/ said...

Looks like a lot of fun. Love serendipity stuff. Glad you have room for a design wall. Lucky you.

Turid said...

You've had so much fun here. Glad you shared it with us. I have so many orphan block around. Maybe this was an idea for me, too? I love all your blocks!

Kate @ Smiles From Kate said...

I love the layout and enjoyed reading about the process too. If only I had a working design wall.....sigh!

Mari said...

Fantastic! Empty that orphanage! Seriously, really nice to tie all of these different blocks together.

Jasmine said...

Awesome! I think this one may be my favorite. The colorwash strips are my favorite part. I just love ombré even in little doses.

Clare M said...

I love the way this one has come together. The colours work so well and the background is perfect. Cant wait to start playing but not allowed to until present project is finished. Please stop tempting me Cynthia. Lol

Kate said...

Very fun! It's amazing how a little bit of symmetry and color matching will do to pull all the blocks together. Congrats on using up a few more orphan blocks.

Mary in Peoria Handmade said...

Wow. I am so impressed (and inspired) by how you tied all these blocks together for a great top. nicely done. Mary in Az

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