Empire's Block of the Month

Skinny Strings - February 2012

2012-01-08T01:00:00.033-05:00

How about another string quilt block for February? This block is wide, 55" wide x 6" high. The finished quilt will be 55" wide. How tall the quilt is depends on how many people make a block! Maybe we'll have enough for 2 quilts.

Directions: Cut strips 1.25" x any length. Piece them together lengthwise so that you have a length of 56" or so. Fabric recipe: anything goes! (as you can see in the photo above). Sew the strips together as shown above. It helps to press each strip as it's added. (Press first, then open the seam and press again. This keeps your seam nice and straight.) Seven strips will be just about right. Have fun!

This will be a truly dazzling scrap string quilt! The variety of fabrics will be impressive, that's for sure.

January 2012 - Classic String Quilt

2011-12-23T09:36:00.000-05:00

We had such a good time making string blocks in November, let's do it again! But this time we'll use scraps of: red, pink, orange, yellow. Any or all! Whatever you have in your scrap pile. The huge variety of fabrics will be wonerful.

The photo above is just for a reminder. To see the directions, scroll down to November. The strip widths are random (about 2").

Here's one possible arrangement of 4 string blocks. Isn't this looking good? These fast and easy blocks are fun to make. Remember, you enter the drawing once for each 6" block that you bring to the meeting.

Happy New Year!

No BOM in December - Happy Holidays!

2011-11-11T15:36:00.002-05:00

November: Classic String Quilt

2011-10-21T19:22:00.000-04:00

For November we'll whip up some blocks to make a classic string quilt. Choose blues, greens, and black & whites. Cut strips about 1 1/4" wide - 1 3/4" wide. Cut them long enough to fill the space under the 6" template, as shown below.

Continue building until the block is bigger than the template. The strips can be various widths.

Trim as shown below. Block size is 6". (The block size in the finished quilt will be 5 1/2.")

The photo below shows what the quilt might look like when the blocks are assembled. Make a bunch so you can enter your name in the drawing multiple times. This will be a nice quilt!

Staircase Block for October

2011-09-15T15:18:00.003-04:00

This simple Staircase block will make a stunning finished quilt. Scroll down to see how the blocks will look when several are combined.

Fabric Recipe: Use florals, dots, paisleys, etc. in multi colors (as shown below). Choose one dark-ish and one light-ish print. (Some low contrast blocks will be nice too.)
Directions:
1. Cut two strips, 3 inches wide. Sew them together lengthwise. Press.
2. Cut 5.5" lengths, as shown in the photo below. Arrange the blocks as shown in the next photo. Sew. Press. That's it!

You may want to bring your scraps so the winner of the blocks will have some matching fabrics for a possible border.

September Taffy Blocks

2011-09-13T01:04:00.000-04:00

These blocks are going to make a beautiful quilt top. Congrats, Viola Brown!

Thank you to BOM Squad member Helen Beall for this photo.

Stay tuned for the October block. Coming soon.

House Blocks for April

2011-03-06T12:16:00.007-05:00

Design your own house block. Here are some examples. Let's "tie them all together" by including something red. Anything goes: prints, solids, novelty prints, batiks, anything. 12" x 12" blocks will be a good size (11 1/2" square in the finished quilt), but if you want to make a multi-story building, yours could be 12" wide x 24" tall...or 36" tall. You might want to add embellishments, appliances, a car in the driveway, a bird on the roof, flower boxes at the windows, ivy on the walls...

January 2011 - Design Your Own Flag

2010-11-22T21:59:00.004-05:00

Have you ever felt a little disappointed that Betsy Ross got to design the flag instead of you? When you view a display of flags of the world, do you see ways they could be tweaked to good advantage? Me too! :) Well here's our chance. I made a few flags to be sure that this block would meet the tests for an Empire BOM: must be fun, pretty, and result in a truly butt-kickin' quilt. Check, check, and check!

Look at some flags and look at your stash. Then create a flag that measures 12" tall by 15" wide. (In the finished quilt, each flag will measure 11.5" x 14.5.") My fancy motifs and big dots were attached to the background using WonderUnder. I think using some bright solids lends a flag-like look. But you are the queen of your land, so it's up to you.

If you have trouble working out the size of your flag, I suggest making the focal point then adding borders to make it 12 x 15. The "liberated quilting" method comes in handy. My examples are a little serious; you may want to put pretzels on your flag. Go for it. Have fun.

Did you know that the flag of Libya is just a solid green? And the flag of Maryland has a checkerboard on it? Now I really look at flags.

Autumn Leaves - November 2010

2010-09-22T11:16:00.003-04:00

Are you an "old hand" at hand applique? Or maybe this will be something new. Either way, this bite-sized project will delight your creative spirit.

We'll start with a 6" square foundation and add one or more leaves (of any shape) in autumn colors. Any combination of prints, solids, batiks, plaids, stripes...whatever says autumn to you. (Finished size in the quilt top will be 5 1/2".)

As you know, this method is called needleturn applique. You can see a tutorial on YouTube by Karen (not me) and Deb of CT Quilting Videos. It's about 7 minutes long. Some parts are hard to see, but hang in there; other parts are very good.

For each block that you make, you get a chance to win all the blocks. Join the fun. This will be a beautiful quilt.

Button Box Blocks

2010-07-16T00:02:00.001-04:00

The September Button Boxes looked great. Thanks to everyone who made a block. Nadine Gustafson won the drawing. Congratulations, Nadine!

Selvage House - May 2010 (Part 1)

2010-02-16T00:10:00.003-05:00

Have you tried selvage quilting yet? Are you saving your selvages? I'm betting that you won't have to buy any new fabric for this Block of the Month!

This goes together fast. Start with a 12" square. (Any quilting fabric will do since it will be completely covered.) Mark the middle of three sides and draw two lines as shown below. That's your rough guideline for the roof.

Place your first selvage near the bottom edge of your house. Sew along the bound edge (above).

Here's a close-up view of the bottom of the block (above).

Continue this way until you reach the roof.

Selvage House - May 2010 (Part 2)

2010-02-16T00:05:00.000-05:00

Make the roof, being sure to cover the guidelines that you drew (above).

Peeking behind your selvages to see the guideline, place your first "sky" selvage and topstitch in place. I doesn't have to be perfectly placed.

Continue, covering the whole sky. Press.

Trim. Your foundation may have gotten a tiny bit smaller, but you can still cut your block 12" x 12." Done!

If you make something else with selvages, email a photo to karengriska@optonline.net for exhibit on the Selvage Blog: http://www.selvageblog.blogspot.com/.

Amish Buggy Quilt - December 2009

2009-06-10T18:30:00.001-04:00

The Amish make simple buggy quilts to use when riding in cold weather. If you want to try yours out, just bring it to Central Park!
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This is a simple 16-patch block, but because the squares are fairly small, it will look awesome. Solid color fabrics will give it an Amish flavor.
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If we all whip up a few of these pretty blocks, the lucky winner (maybe you) will have plenty to make a nice big quilt.

Directions: (See photos.)
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1. Cut 2 strips: 2 1/4" wide x 40" long. Cut one from Color 1, and one from Color 2.
2. Sew these strips together lengthwise. Press. Cut into two approx. 20" lengths.
3. Sew these together lengthwise. Press seams toward darker color. (See above.)
4. Cut into eight 2 1/4" strips, as shown (below).
5. Reversing the direction of every other strip, sew the strips into two blocks, as shown below. This method will yield 2 blocks.
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Color Recipe: Using solid (not patterned) fabrics, choose any two colors you like (except white). These might be high or low contrast, bright or subdued. It's your choice.

This is going to look so beautiful when we lay out the blocks at the December meeting!