Check out what Faith of Fresh Lemons did with five cute quilt blocks:

I just love the rainbow effect of all of these hanging together. It’s a wonderful way to use up random orphan blocks, either for a bunch of gifts, or to group together on a wall. And with some of the Munki Munki prints being rare and/or expensive, it’s a great method for getting a ton of mileage out of a small number of scraps.

I love Mary’s inspiration so much that it intimidates me a bit. It’s one thing to figure out what someone likes and just go for it, but my tastes are similar to Mary’s. So the pressure is on to make something really fabulous.

Wish me luck!

I adore this quilt by myittybittyquilts, and this setting for wonky nine-patches. As a matter of fact, I quite like wonky nine-patches after making a bunch for this top. It has the cute, simple quality of a nine-patch, but the altered proportions make it really fun. They work especially well for this setting because the white is relegated to the setting squares, and the fabrics in the blocks are of similar value.

Here’s another with this setting. You can see how this configuration works with a bunch of different themes and color schemes. It would also look great with a solid, or even print, setting squares.

Stay tuned – I can see this become a trendy quilt, and with good reason.

I think a celebration quilt is a heck of an idea. We make quilts for holidays, and to give as gifts, but what about to honor birthdays and anniversaries? I know a quilt is a lot of work just to be displayed for one day. But is there a more special way to celebrate?

I’d call this a single block – which it is – but it’s also much more than that. Nine-patches, rail fences, a bit of starriness in the corners…. It’s the best kind of miniature quilt, really, in that it contains everything a larger quilt does. But it’s pared down so you can really concentrate on the integrity of the design.

The fact that some of my favorite fabrics have been used certainly doesn’t hurt, but the more muted color scheme isn’t what I’m used to in the exuberant celebration that is your average doll quilt.

Then again, this is no average doll quilt. I’d like it in solids, but I wouldn’t love it, not in the way I love the blend of playfulness and sophistication she’s achieved here. But if you want to make a quilt like this, note how perfectly precise the piecing is.

Not easy to acheive, but so worth the effort.

Thankfully, there are quilters who want to change all that. First up: one of the many projects to be found at Orange Flower’s lovely patterns and tutorials blog.

Don’t you love this??? The size is just perfect, and there are so many possible variation to match any decor: boy/girl, adult/child, home/school/office, Christmas/Easter, fall/spring.

This would look great in redwork. Or blackwork. Imagine blackwork on colored linen! Or framed instead of bound, if that’s your thing….

Okay, at this point, I’m pretty much just taking up your time. And you need your time to make alphabet samplers. Find out how here.