Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Quilt #2 from Orphan Blocks

I am still playing around with my orphan blocks.  My second quilts looks very different than the first one I created.  For this one, I pulled my orphan blocks that were in shades of brown.





I decided to start my quilt with these large improve slabs that were abandoned from a long ago project.



These will help to set both the color and the theme for the quilt top.  Now I just need to build off from here.



















As I lay blocks out on my design wall, I look for pairs or colors of blocks to balance out the quilt top a bit.


I also start with the larger blocks first.  Not only does this make laying out the blocks easier, but it also fills up the real estate faster!



















Then it is just a matter of filling in the open spaces with smaller blocks.  Half square triangles and four patches are usually last.















You can see I gave those peach blocks a facelift by cutting them in quarters and creating a better block. 

I also started sewing up the blocks into larger components - using fabrics from my scrap bin to keep the improv feel to the quilt top.




Some blocks are trimmed smaller while others are added to or framed to make them the size I need.











You can see the components all forming better in this photo.  I am working on the last section there toward the bottom left.













And here it is all put together.  A total of 62 orphan blocks and components found a home in this quilt top.


Once I get it quilted up, I will get some better photos of it.  The colors are really rich and warm - and the hints of pink and turquoise really add some zing!



A crazy quilt for sure!









And over on my other design wall, these orphan blocks started quilt #3.  Time to make a quilt top that makes my heart jump!  :)


The center medallion orphan block quilt is all quilted and getting the binding attached so I hope to share it this Friday.

Hope you all are having a great week!





Linking Up:

Sew Fresh Quilts (Bee Social)


15 comments:

Kat said...

I'm really enjoying these orphan tops!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Very creative, I love it! Those little pops of pink & turquiose are so effective!

gayle said...

I love watching you build these orphan tops! Such fun seeing everything grow together!

Mystic Quilter said...

Looks such fun working with these orphan blocks, wonderful balance with the darker blocks top right and lower left.

The Joyful Quilter said...

These Orphan Block quilts seem quite challenging to put together. However, you seem to have FUN using up all those spare parts to create a cohesive quilt. Thanks for walking us through your process!!

Jo said...

This is coming together great. I wish I had the space to work on mine like that. How did you make your design wall

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Your orphan block quilts are looking great! You've definitely inspired me, and I have orphan blocks up on my design wall today. Hoping to have something to shwre for Oh Scrap this weekend!

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

I and my friends worked on an orphan quilt....we all donated those orphans and got together on a National Quilting Day to start it. When it was done, we called it Spare Parts. After showing it in a couple of shows, we donated it to a good cause.

I'm sharing these posts with some of those friends. Who knows, someday I might make another quilt.

TheItinerantChemist said...

These posts are fascinating - thanks for sharing your process! :)

Barb Neiwert said...

I love how your brain works - like cutting up those blocks and sewing back together. Totally looks better! You've created a very intriguing quilt.

Judy H said...

Am loving how you 'work'. The step-by-step on designing with the orphan blocks is fantastic. Can't wait to see what orphans I can pull from the rubble.

Bernie Kringel said...

Thank you for outlining your process. It was like a mini lesson. Very helpful. Especially the details like when you cut those two blocks and made them more interesting. It added so much to the quilt and I wouldn't have thought to do that,😊

Jasmine said...

Your process is fascinating to see. Thank you for taking the time to document and share.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

What fun, I like seeing your process

Kate said...

Orphan Quilt #2 turned out beautifully. It's interesting to see how your design evolved.

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