3D quilt block

Block 3 in the Quick as a Fox sewalong is a 3D Block:

Where is this 3rd dimension, you ask? See those lime green triangles? They're actually folded over squares, sewn over top of another square, thus forming a pocket of sorts.

Pretty cool, huh?

I liked seeing this block come to life, but I'm glad it's a sampler quilt and I don't have to make another - so many seams, so much pressing!

It's still pretty cool though.

Quick as a fox!

The Sew Along I'm introducing today is by Becky from Patchwork Posse, and it's being hosted by Heather over at The Sewing Loft. Quick as a Fox is a 9-block sampler quilt, with some interesting blocks and great hints and tips along the way.

This is the selection of fabric I've chosen:

If it looks familiar, that's because it is. I'm using the same fabric for two quilts; the other I showed you three days ago, the Quilt Doodle BOM Sampler. There's 12 blocks in that quilt, 9 in this one, all 12 inches square, so I'll have enough for a larger-than-lap quilt (sadly, I have no need of lap quilts). Hopefully. If I keep the momentum up, and don't relegate either or both projects to the UFO pile, then I might even make a few extra blocks to go with them.

Block 1 - Log Cabin... Instead of light/dark, I went turquoise/orange

Block 2 - Flying Geese

Quick as a Fox runs from 8 January to 26 March, with a new block every week. As I write, I'm only two blocks behind; block 3 is cut, ready to sew, and block 4 only came out today, so I don't actually feel I'm behind.

Not on this one, anyway!

Holiday Ribbon and a few new projects

I know I haven't checked in for a while, so here's another block from the Celebrate Christmas Quilt-along (which, incidentally, is over now, being waaay past xmas, but my quilt top is far from finished, so as far as I'm concerned, this is an ongoing project!)

It may not look very xmassy at first glance, but imagine a row of these blocks, and you'll get the picture. Especially if you use xmassy fabric, which I did not!

It's called Holiday Ribbon, designed by Ryan from Ryan Walsh Quilts. It was a nice, fast block to piece.

I'll be showing more of these on a hopefully regular basis, in between all the projects I'm signing up for this month:
The Block of the Month over at Craftsy
Project Quilting, over at Kim's Crafty Apple
The latest Round Robin over at Patchwork Posse
The Free Motion Quilt Challenge at SewCalGal
New Beginnings Mini Quilt Swap over at Quilting Gallery - you have to register for this by 1st February, so get in quick if you're interested!

I think that list is complete. If it isn't, I may just be taking on too much. There is after all only so much spare time a person can have!

... and here's Block Three...

This Little Light of Mine, designed by Melissa Stramel, is Block #3 in the Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along.

Here's mine...

The central blue fabric is hand-dyed calico.

 And a closer look at the embroidery...

When I first saw this block design, I immediately thought of The Little Match Girl.

Another block tomorrow. Yes, I really do mean it this time. I'm taking part in National Blog Posting Month - NaBloPoMo for short (see the box over on the right-hand side). I'm the 683rd person to sign up for it. I will endeavour to post every day for a month.
Starting... yesterday!

Mittens, not exactly Santa-coloured

My version of block 2 of the Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along:

Mitten quarters were foundation pieced. The quarter-square-triangles were supposed to be as well, but I nutted out how to rotary piece them instead.

It's called Santa's Mittens, and designed by Jennifer Rodriguez.

The original block had red and white where my blue and yellow are. Yellow is the closest I could get to white in my chosen palette. You might think it's unusual to make a xmas quilt and not have any white (snow! lovely snow!), but it's summer at that time of year here, hence the flowers instead. Besides, I hardly ever use white.

So far, 23 blocks have been published, of which I have completed 16.

Celebrate Christmas Quilt-along

Have you heard about the xmas QAL over at Quilting Gallery? Basically, it's 36 designers, contributing a block design each, stretched over 12 weeks (so we get 3 per week to do). With a xmas theme. Oh, and there's some "super deals for quilters" too, like 40% off certain fabric lines at certain stores, that sort of thing. Doesn't really apply to me 'cos it's all overseas, so any savings made would be negated by the killer shipping costs. :(

The three focus fabrics

I'm taking part, despite not having a giant stash of xmas fabrics. At first I thought I'll just use some reds and greens, and a bit of cream thrown in for contrast. But then I found in amongst my greens, some olivey flowery prints which I bought last year mainly because of the price and not because they were lovely fabrics. But there's enough (I hope!) to use as the background/focus fabric. All the accompanying prints and plains match -- I used the coloured spots on the selvedge to match them up. Close enough, anyway!

The fabric palette

The first block was designed by Pat Sloan, called Pat's Red and White. My version is sewn in slightly different colours...

Pat's Red and White --- Raw-edge applique for the basket in the centre, blanket stitched by hand (only because I feel I have more control over my hands than I do my machine).

At the time I write this, I am stitching Block 12. Fifteen blocks to date have been published. I'll show block 2 tomorrow.