Solved!
Remember this block? The one I did for our GridsterBee this year? And how I couldn’t remember where I’d seen it, nor could anyone I talked to, nor did Bren, the Queen Bee?
This is the pattern Woven, available for free on the Robert Kaufman website. It was designed by Elizabeth Hartman, using one of her fabric lines. I’d also made it before, for Mary of NeedledMom:
And here is a picture of Mary’s blocks, all laid out:
Okay, that mystery solved, and the Heart’s Garden Mystery QAL put to rest, what’s next?
June blocks, from Leila Gardunia, are a series of scrappy triangles, with white-on-white as the opposite side. Leila provides a free download of 52 of these blocks, plus a few bonus ones– a fun pattern to keep around when you have too many scraps and need a way to make them useful.
My friend Jean sent me a photo of her finished Polaroid quilt. Some time ago (2013), we’d had a Polaroid swap, and she was happy to send me a finished photo. The directions to make those little blocks can be found in this post. I don’t care when you start a quilt, it’s the finish that needs celebrating and I celebrate this!
I also cut out a dress. That is all.
Since bashing on Instagram is a favorite thing in this house — we love it and we hate it — I was interested in this advice from The Washington Post in their IG feed and more on the stranglehold they have on our data in an article on Privacy Policies. I’ve yet to convert my feed over, but do try to keep my eyeballs-on-screens time down to a manageable level.
Culture Department: This is the stage where the Ukrainian band, Kalush, won the Eurovision Song Contest. Now that song is stuck in my head, and I don’t even speak Ukranian. One of the members is known as Carpet Man, and he is covered in a patterned balaclava that looks like patterned carpet. You can listen (and see Carpet Man) in this video, a song that is a combination of rap, a plaintive melody and a chorus that is all too catchy. Be sure to admire the man with the one of the traditional Ukrainian woodwind instruments, a telenka.
And no, I haven’t forgotten about this horrendous week of news we’ve had, and the video that sums up all the horror of what our children are exposed to. I remember hanging out at school, playing ball on the schoolyard, and absolutely nothing like what this young woman in the video described. I voted by mail this week, giving a NO vote to a particular leader who didn’t represent my views on this, or on pandemic caution. I urge you to vote in your Primary if your state is having one, or will have one, and I thank those who did vote. Let’s leave our children and grandchildren a world where they have the freedoms we did.
Maybe it was in response to the oppressing sadness that I designed this happy little pattern? I don’t know, but for four Wednesdays in June I’ll put up a new block. Thanks to the nice comments you’ve sent to me, and hope you have been able to download it from my pattern shop (link to PayHip is on upper right).
Take a breath, and quilt!
OccasionalPiece--Quilt! 
Loved hearing from you today.
I LOVE that ring block. The fussy cut star is perfect. It is going to make a spectacular quilt. The fabric you are using for your dress is so pretty. Will you use the same pattern as your last dress? I’m looking forward to seeing the NYB blocks popping up on posts.
Thank you for all the inspiration this morning. I am sitting here in my nightie, icing a recently broken wrist and am so looking forward to starting your New York Beauty block. I think you broke my slump!
I don’t normally watch any of the Eurovision contest but I was mesmerized by the song beat and how the song writer made a tribute to his mother and his country. Carpet Man! Another cool tribute to their country in that body suit he wore.
I love the New York Beauty block and the Polaroid quilt looks like fun.
Looking forward to seeing your dress!
Hope life flowers beautifully for you and yours this summer.
Don’t pay any attention to Eurovision so would have never come across this video. Thanks for sharing it along with all your other wisdom and thoughts. Have a wonderful week.
The video of Kalush performing was mesmerizing. It’s interesting how universal music is and also how identifiable different cultural influences are. I hope you have a great week! 🙂
Those quilts you’ve shown are very tempting. I’m trying hard to continue working on my UFOs, but you make it difficult. Blessings,
I absolutely love your Ring Cycles on Steroids! That’s going to be very striking. And your Eva dress is going to be very pretty! I’m not a fan of Eurovision but we tend to get news of it filter through here, probably because Australia often has an entry….no, I don’t know why, either! I did think of you yesterday when we were watching all the pageantry of the Queen’s jubilee celebrations. Have you seen the Paddington Bear clip? It’s priceless! Happy sewing Elizabeth.
Another Sunday post with a boat load of great information!!! I’m loving the New York Beauties block, thank you for sharing generously. And it kills me that you are on your second Eva dress while I’m still here, years in, considering just the right linen blend fabric (yes, analysis paralysis) – maybe it’s time to use the cotton piece I own/make one/see how it goes?!?! You remain my favorite source of social media 🙂
Thank you for sharing your New York Beauty block. Looking forward to making it. I’ve always wanted to try one so I guess I really need to do it now!
Thanks for the Instagram info. Gotta love to hate it! Maybe now I can get some peace. Ha. Ha.
Well! That was a lot! I tried to find your first swap block in Barbara Brackman’s book, but it wasn’t there! Hard to believe something that straightforward is new, but so it appears! And I’m in the process of testing alternative foundations for “paper” piecing, so you New York Beauties block may be just what I need!
I remember making those blocks for Mary. and I remember being in a polaroid swap but I then gave all my blocks away. I LOVE your New York Beauty. Just printed it out. Beautiful!