Ohio Star (block #26)

 Today it doesn't seem like I'm accomplishing much. But in reality I did quite a lot.  I guess I just kind of feel sluggish today that it's taking me extra long to accomplish stuff. I finished a purple  baby quilt top for a friend. Tomorrow it will be sandwiched and quilted. I also organized and cleaned the sewing room, made today's block, washed dishes, and finished packing for vacation next week (I know it's more than week away...).

 Today's block is a oldie but goodie. This block is a tribute to the great state of Ohio, hence the name Ohio Star.  It is a simple design but dates back to the early 1800s.  The Ohio Star was a popular in the 1930s due to the far that it could be easily pieced from scraps. It was especially popular among immigrant to the Midwest and today among the Amish. For more information  on the Ohio Star  click here.  It can come in all sizes but the one I did is a 12 inch done in all purples. I think I am going to do the next several blocks in all purples and when I have enough I make a lap/ baby quilt out of them. . The great things about this block is that depending on the color placement, it could have sever different looks. The middle square can also have quite a few  variations as well.

 To make the pattern: Ohio Star

Here's an example of a Amish Ohio star  quilt. The colors don't necessarily go together the best but when combined make for a rather striking quilt.


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Crazy Quilt (Block # 25)

Well today's quilt block is called Crazy Quilt. This is a hard one for me because I like clean lines and clear directions on how to make something. I don't like things that seemingly do no have any form, shape or pattern to them.  I like order and stability. I am going out on a limb here, thinking outside of the box or square or block, and trying something new. Sometimes you just just have force yourself to do that instead of staying with the comfortable and familiar, you'll never learn anything new else wise! It sounds like a conversation I had with my younger brother once. He was telling me that studies have shown  that one of the keys to  staying younger is keep experiencing new things, keeps the senses and mind sharp. I've always admired crazy quilts from afar but never attempted one myself. I included a picture below of a crazy quilt that i thought was really cool that I found online.  But first here's my attempt at being disorderly, well at least in terms of fabric.
 

To make this pattern click on Crazy Quilt  . It's more of a method type thing than an actual pattern. But the basic steps are there- the placement and size of colors is up to you. I didn't have any fancy stitching on my sewing machine so I had to use a zigzag stitch.  I made this in a 7 1/2 inch square instead of a 12 inch square because I had a square leftover form a previous project.

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And here's the crazy quilt that I thought was really cool.  Click on the picture below  to see even more example of crazy quilts from another website. I like the floral motifs in this quilt as well as the fancy stitching. Now that's something I 'd love to learn more about .. Crazy quilts are certainly a great showcase for knowledge of  different embroidery stitches

Double Z (Block #24)

Today has me thinking about vacation, which is coming up here soon in two weeks. We're going to Myrtle Beach! I am so excited. I love the ocean and water and seafood and yes call me crazy the smell of salt air. We're meeting up with a bunch of my family there.

So for today's block, Double Z, I appropriately chose a water themed blue/black print. I believe this fabric was leftover from a fish  themed quilt I did for my niece.  As I was putting this block together, I kept thinking this block looks so familiar like I've already done it for this project. It is very similar  in construction to Flyfoot (block number 6) but has a totally different look.  The Double Z  block is 12 inches square finished. And so here is the one I did:

Here's a example of a small Double Z quilt I found online. If you click on the picture you'll be able to go to the website I got it from.

Click here for the Double Z pattern instructions.

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