One of the possibly unintended but definitely cool side effects of the Quilting Bee Explosion is getting a chance to try out a bunch of blocks and learn what you like to make. Accent on the “to make.” Once upon a time, this is what sampler quilts were for – but we all know it’s easy to lose interest in such a big project.
Anyway, I want to take a moment to sing the praises of blocks we love to make. I personally love anvils, log cabins, and Aunt Addie’s Album. These are things to keep in mind if I ever want to make a whole quilt out of a single block.
And why would I want to do that? Well, here’s one reason:
Mary’s Ohio Star quilt was made in just a few days’ time as a wedding gift. And if you think about it, it’s as traditional as it gets. But if you just look at it and enjoy it, it’s wonderfully chic and modern. Using a small slice of the color wheel certainly updates the overall look, but I think the use of just one block contributes a great deal to that as well.
What are some of your favorite blocks?
Thanks so much! I completely agree about losing interest in a big quilt made up of just one block, and I think the only reason I finished this was that I was under a tight deadline.
Quilting bees have definitely been an influence on my extremely theoretical, way off in the future projects. Making a last second, bonus log cabin out of Kaffe Fassett prints led me to amass a crazy collection of his fabric for a big log cabin quilt of my own…one day.
I also love quilts made only of bear paws. And the snowball block is one that seems best on its own–it’s hard not to love a big snowball quilt with a huge variety of prints.
Comment by mary — November 20, 2009 @ 5:21 pm
[...] I asked about favorite single blocks the other day, Mary mentioned that she liked snowballs best as a one-block [...]
Pingback by One block or two? « A Quilt A Day — November 23, 2009 @ 5:50 pm
[...] written already about my love of quilts made up of a single block, by which I meant a single block, repeated many times in a grid to make a big quilt top. (Or an [...]
Pingback by One-block wonder. « A Quilt A Day — March 15, 2010 @ 5:26 pm