I finished my secret sewing project early last week (can’t wait to share it with you in a couple months) and since then, it’s been blocks, blocks and more blocks around here as I start on a new quilt, get underway with the Long Time Gone sew-along, and continue my Barn Quilt Block of the Month project.
This is the nearly-complete first block for a quilt for my mom. When she was here in January she looked through some of my quilting books and seemed to like traditional patterns but modern, brighter colors. The block is from an old book of fat quarter quilt blocks, but it was template-based and I didn’t really want to do that — using templates is not my favorite thing. So I redesigned the whole block into a more manageable (for me) pattern involving half square triangles, some smart cutting, and a bit of paper piecing.
There will be 12 blocks in all so I’ve got 11 more to go, plus borders. Hope you like where it’s headed, Mom!
The Long Time Gone sew-along kicked off last week and since I did all my cutting ahead of time, it was easy to jump right in. Last week I made two bow tie blocks which were quick and fun to put together. I was feeling motivated so I went ahead and made this week’s square-in-a-square stars block as well.
Now that people are starting to post this one on Instagram, I’ve seen a few other amazing versions of this block that are more structured, and the stars stand out a lot more. For a moment I found myself re-thinking my whole scrappy plan of attack…but to heck with it! A scrappy look is what I’ve committed to, so scrappy it shall be!
And finally, I posted this month’s Barn Quilt Block — an Eight-Pointed Star — on Monday. The pattern is in my Craftsy shop if you like it!
(Linking up with Let’s Bee Social from Sew Fresh Quilts)
Carole @ From My Carolina Home says
All your blocks look great!
Pam Marbourg says
I love the modern feel to your work, Nasa-girl! I can see the engineering side of you come out. I enjoyed reading about your daughter’s trip to your workplace (cool bathrooms).
Sarah says
Thanks Pam! And you know, of all the cool things at NASA, the bathrooms are actually very underwhelming…
Ardith says
Everything looks so beautiful, Sarah. Cheers, Ardith
Kate says
You have so much going on. I love your Long Time Gone blocks, wonderful colours, and your Mom’s block is very pretty, she will love it.
Sarah says
Thanks Kate! I’m really excited to see the Long Time Gone quilt start to develop over the coming weeks.