Orphan Block

Back in the spring at our day guild, the theme was a party and we were asked to bring in an orphan block in order to attend the party.  So, we did.  We lined up dutifully and handed in our blocks.  All of us thought that the blocks would be made into a donation quilt.  So we thought.

Lordy, we were tricked.

We got someone's else orphan block(s) in return and were told that we had to finish the block into something of our choice.  All items would be shown at the June meeting.

I got two blocks.  What to do with them.  I pondered for a week or so and finally DING the lightbulb went on.  On a day trip up north, I bought two stuffed toys.

The blocks were each backed with flannel and turned inside out (or birthed as some say).  A bit of top stitching to secure everything together.

Wrapped each bunny into the block and tied a knot and viola .... a wrapped bunny.  I told the lady that the blocks belonged to to donate the bunnies to Vicars.  She agreed.  What is Vicars?  When police go out to a call and children are involved, they get something to calm them down.  I think a little one will love the bunny and will keep them calm and amused while the police do their business.

Now, my block came back to me as a snap purse.  The kind that has strips of metal measuring tape to snap back in place when closing.  So cute.   It now holds all my hand quilting notions.  Perfect size.  Not too large and not too small.

The show and tell at the June meeting was awesome.  It was so interesting to see what others did with our orphan blocks.  I will never look at orphan blocks the same way again!

Have a great day!

Orphan to a top

This twin-size top started with left-over flower blocks that were in a bin for a very long time now.

With the need for quilts/blocks for the Australian bush-fire projects, I decided that these blocks could go for that cause.

So, with the addition of a few nine patches and some additional appliqué …. viola, this top will soon be on its’ way to Australia. Kiera is collecting the blocks and is sending these and others down to her MIL, Jennifer, in Australia. Jennifer is arranging the bocks to be sewn into tops and quilted by some ladies down under. I just took my blocks a few steps further and gave Kiera a completed top to help speed up the finishing process.

I hope whoever receives this quilt will give it tender, loving care and that they will enjoy and find comfort within its folds. :o)

Have a great day!

A Bag will Travel

Now that Judith has received her tote bag that I made for her, it’s time to show it to you. This bag is very similar to the one that was sent to Peg; but it is slightly different. This is the last of the orphan block that started these tote bags.

Judith and I were doing a personal swap and this was my gift to her. She is going on vacation soon for 3 weeks and this bag arrived in time for her to put it to good use.

Have a great day!

Pattern Source: Paper pieced trees from EQ5 software program.

Hearts All Around

From my archives, this little mini quilt is perfect to help us celebrate Valentine’s Day and appropriate as I think of this as spreading our hearts all around the world.

The block was an orphan; but it didn’t languish too long in the bin!

Do you see the stipple quilting? This was done by hand …… before I found the beauty and fun in machine stipple quilting.

If I was ever to do this quilt again, the binding would not be that colour. It’s done now and there is no way that it’s going to be unpicked and a new binding put on. It’s alright, it’s OK, and it’s staying as is! :o)

Enjoy your day!

Pattern Source: McCall’s Quilting magazine, June 2001

An orphan, now a bag!

What became an orphan block, has resulted in a tote bag. This block was first intended to become a jacket but ended up in my orphan bin instead. Also in the bin, was a pack of rail fence blocks and I just cut them up into 1-1/2” strips. Only the portion of the trees (see the blocked out area) was used for the bag and the remainder will be made into something else one day …. perhaps another tote bag.

This bag made its’ way to Peg in Australia for our SSCS.

So, take another look in your orphan bin and see if any blocks can be made into a tote bag.

Have a great day!

My Design Wall

At one end of my studio, there are sliding doors and this is where my design wall is. This is a piece of batting that is just clipped to the metal strip that houses the mechanism for the sliding doors. When I need to get into the closet, or if I need to take my design someplace, I can just unclip the batting and do whatever is needed.

The clips are various office varieties that are sturdy enough to hold a bit of weight. I simply used whatever we had on hand.

All those blocks hanging up are my orphan blocks. I’m starting to see a flow or theme with what is there. Maybe they will be made up, after all.






This is my cutting and sewing area.
Have a great day!

Looking for Miss Inspiration

Since there is so much going around on the web these days about orphan blocks, I thought it might be a good idea to glance into my bin to see what might be there. To my surprise, there is actually more than what I thought.

The Mariner’s Compass and lighthouse blocks (bottom of photo) will become a tote bag.

The rest, well, I can’t find any inspiration with them for now. I’ll hang them up on my design wall and see what I can do with them (I am determined).
Visit http://orphantrainsfromfinn.blogspot.com/ to see what is going on with orphan blocks and you will have loads of inspiration after one visit.

Speaking of inspiration, thank you Froggie for your compliment. I have such fun with my quilting and when I started this blog, my wish was to inspire folks to have fun with their quilting too. My feeling is that if you have fun, then inspiration comes along very quickly.

Have a great day!