Liberated Cross Blocks

 Blame it on my friend, Joan.  I'm starting another quilt!  I just couldn't resist when she put out the broad invite to join her at Wishes, True and Kind in a quilt along with Heather from A La Mode Fabrics. Her fabrics and blocks got me from "virtual hello".   Once I was hooked, I realized however, that I didn't even know how to make the  cross blocks for the mini quilt along. She and Heather are going by a pattern that I don't have. But, hey!  In my effort to be more "liberated", I have decided to just wing it!  What follows is my rendition of the cross block and how I am making them.  And Joan is right..............They are ADDICTIVE.  Good thing they don't contain calories!!

I've been collecting some solids from Kona and Moda and decided this project would be perfect for the yummy greens, aqaus, yellows and white that keep showing up in my solid container.
First, I had to decide what size to make my blocks. For fun, my blocks will all be the same height but vary in width. I cut my fabrics 12 inches high and "whatever" width, layering two fabrics when I cut.

Next step was to make two cuts across the "middleish" of the block, making the cross bar. No measuring allowed.  Just eyeball where you want the cross on the block.

Seperate the top and bottom from the middle section and eyeball two cuts on each to create the vertical cross bar.
Note: I did not cut through the middle cross section. So, there are now 7 patches to this block. Because there are two layers of fabric, I have cut two blocks at once.  Now, for the magic:

Carefully remove the top fabric from the "cross" sections and place the 3 parts next to the original block forming a cross. In this case, the parts are aqua, leaving the white underneath cross behind.  Now, move the white underneath fabric from each of the four remaing sections and place them on the second block, being careful to keep each in the same positon.

PIn and sew the upper sections of both blocks together.  I placed a pin in the upper cross section next to the middle to mark it's postion on the block.( I think you can see the pins in the picture if you look carefully.)

Now, sew the bottom sections together in the same way, being careful to keep the parts in the correct postitions. The pin  markers help to do that.

Pin the upper and lower sections to the cross bar, centering them and sewing together. I pressed all the seams open when making this block, by the way. Note: The upper and lower secions will be shorter than the middle cross bar.  Doesn't matter. Just sew them together.  No matching needed, really, for this liberated look we are going for.

You are almost done...............now just trim the blocks to the desired size. I decided to trim my blocks all to 10.5 inches high and various widths. This will make it easier to assemble the quilt in the end.

Here are my finished blocks!  I am pleased with the way they turned out. Each cross will be a little bit wonky for an interesting quilt.  I had to force myself to quit sewing. These were so much fun to make.  I don't know how many I need really.  Surely I'll get tired of making them sometime!
Thanks, Joan, for inviting me to join in your quilt along....I'm lovin' it!

And now, for the news you've all been waiting for:  The winner of the Boxer Give Away! 
The winner is Jennifer from That Girl......That Quilt. I'll send you an email and get your address so I can get the dog.........er, I mean undies and charm pack in the mail. Congratulations! Jennifer, who'se loving grey, yellow and purple color combo right now, is wanting some boxers to replace the ones her husband took over after her own trip to Target for some Liberty of London love! Thanks, everyone for the nice comments and messages.  A special thanks to those of you who became a follower.  You're awesome! 
Piecefully,
Carla

GREEN

I Love Green! And who doesn't today....it's St. Paddy's Day! Here's a fun green quilt made especially for my youngest grandson's recent 3rd birthday. It's called 'Once Upon A Time'. What fun to trace the red paths, stopping at each I Spy square to create a story that changes everytime the game is played. The story lines are endless and as creative as one's imagination.

Last week the quilt and I visited a kindergarten class. With excitement, the children took turns adding to the story evolving as little fingers pointed to squares and decided which path to take next.

 

Pieced from lots of great fabrics with pictures of things a little boy likes, the back is almost as fun as the front. I used a pattern found in one of my favorite books, The Modern Quilt Workshop by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr. The directions are clear, there are color combination suggestions, and helpful hints to make this quilt and fourteen others. Several others in the book are on my To Do list. Maybe you'd like to make a storytelling quilt for a child you love!