Red, White and Blue

Friday, April 13, 2012

With Spring Break, a new puppy and tax season coming to a close we have been keeping quite busy around here.  I have snuck in a little sewing time though so I thought I'd share a few projects with you.  Coincidentally they all revolve around red, white and blue...

First, I made a few more of my red and white Farmer's Wife Blocks:


In our FWQ Club, we've started out with the easiest blocks and are progressively moving up to the hardest blocks.  This month's block technique: half square triangles.  I haven't had to use templates for the 12 blocks I've made so far.  Instead, I followed Lori Holt's tutorial for how to make easy half square triangles. 


#12: Broken Sugar Bowl


#16: Calico Puzzle


# 34: Flock


#9: Box


#20: Churn Dash


#21: Contrary Wife

I am having SO much fun making these little 6" blocks!  I've got 12 down and 99 more to go!  Ha!


A couple other projects:

The other day, my mom and I made new ironing board covers using my friend's really simple method.  We each made ours in about 10 minutes.  I was so excited since this was my first attempt at making one and it turned out to be so easy!  I called it the lazy man's ironing board cover pattern, but my mom suggested we call it the busy woman's ironing board cover so I think we'll go with that!

Also, over the last week, I've made LOTS of progress on my red, white and blue Scrap Jar Stars quilt.  There's still much more to be done, but I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  With a total of 42 blocks it's taking me a while!  Here's the math: 336 half square triangles, 42 sixteen patches and 168 corner blocks.  I can't believe I'm actually sticking with it (sometimes I wonder what the heck I got myself into!?!)  But by trying to get one step done every day (or every couple of days) I am seeing it come together.


I picked up a few new fabrics the other day.  This time I focused on blues/navys.  Does anyone else think good blues are hard to find? 


I sure LOVE this honeycomb pattern by Robert Kauffman [#12033] right now.  It makes me happy.

Anyways, thanks for stopping by.
Happy Quilting everyone!
~ Amber

21 comments:

  1. I love your red & white blocks! They are so cheerful and happy! Yes, good blues are hard to find - I love navy.

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  2. YES YES YES, good blues are hard to find. I thought it was just me! Especially tiny prints on navy! Your FW's are great, looks like fun, but my list of "gotta have it" quilts is already too long.

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  3. Still no more a fan of red, loving the block patterns however!
    Blues are tricky to find even when you search a site by colour, most of the blues aren't blue! =D

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  4. Loving those red and white farmers wife blocks!!!

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  5. Oh my gosh, blues are so hard to find! I have tons of every color except blue and dark purples - Don't know why it's hard to find a good saturated blue! But I love the ones you chose!

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  6. How sweet are your red, white and blue squares!!! Love them all!!! Your right about the blues, some seem more purple or green to me, congrats on your new finds!

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  7. I love 2 colour quilts especially red and white. Blues are difficult.

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  8. I totally agree- good blues are very rare, especially in my stash! Your FW blocks are great!

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  9. I agree, but then I never met a blue I didn't like! My favourite colour. I'm working on a quilt of all blues at the moment so I know where you're coming from!

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  10. Gorgeous blocks Amber, Good on you for sticking with your scrap jar quilt. Its such a fun project to make. I loved every minute making mine.

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  11. Love all the red and white blocks, but I have a soft spot for churn dash in red and white. I really need a new ironing board cover, would you mind sharing the directions?

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  12. Such wonderful work...love the blocks and the red ironing board cover...so pretty!

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  13. I love what you did with the red and white blocks. I also like your ironing board cover very much. :-)


    Nathalie
    http://nathaliecalifornie.blogspot.com/

    My first blog Giveaway: http://nathaliecalifornie.blogspot.com/2012/04/mary-see-concours-carte-cadeaux.html

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  14. Love your red and white blocks. Classic

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  15. You say you made 12 Farmer's Wife blocks but I only see that you posted 11! I am starting this project soon and I like that your group has started with the easiest blocks. Can you share the one that is missing? I love the Reds you are using and I also love the red white and blue combinations! Beautiful work.

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  16. Audrey,

    You are so perceptive! :) That last block was at work and I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of it before I took it there. It is block #92 called Streak of Lightning. I'll throw in a picture of it with my next batch that I post about.

    Thanks for stopping by and happy quilting!

    Amber

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  17. All of your blocks look so pretty Amber. Good Blues are definitely hard to find -- I was just looking this weekend -- with not much luck!

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  18. Yes on the blues - they are hard to find for sure! I really like your idea for red, white and blue for your Farmer's Wife blocks! I've been making some with all sorts of scraps and colors and just kind of paralyzed as to what to do.... I like your theme - I think that's a better way to go than the stab in the dark that I've been taking! :O) Love your ironing board cover - I need a new one, too, and was wondering if there was a pattern for sale out there? Any ideas as to best fabrics to use so it lasts?

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  19. Love all the different blocks! Tell me about this busy woman's iron board cover tutorial. I need to recover mine! Cute! :)

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  20. The ironing board looks great! I'm glad the cover worked. I like your name for it. Maybe I should publish it before you do! :)

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  21. Oh my gosh, another post I missed. I love your red and white blocks beautiful. And the ironing board cover...love! I bought a new one for myself when I started quilting. I loved it till I just saw this one. I never would have thought of making my own. haha

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I ♥ to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment. I read each one and try to respond as often as I can. Thanks so much for stopping by! ~Amber