Quilts

Cross-X Last Call

April 25, 2014April 18, 2014 Elizabeth E.6 Comments

Well, my Cross-X Friendship Swap partner has a new gig in town: she’s expecting a baby, and I’m more than happy for her! So, since we were so near our goal, we decided to do an all-call, last-call and finish up the swapping. Here are my last blocks that I sent to Krista, of Krista-Stitched. Three (above) and Four (below). And is the tradition of this swap, we do a blog post on the last Friday of the month about our swaps.

Here are the four in double-vision; all total for this swap: seven. We now have about 55 total blocks (she does the math, I don’t) and I’ll get them all out and arrange them and get them sewn together. She wrote and said a few more were en-route to me, so I’ll wait a bit before sewing it all together. It’s been a fun run at this, and thanks to Krista and our Flickr group, for giving me the motivation to make some Cross-X blocks!

Coming up soon is the quarterly reveal of our Four-in-Art Art Quilt Group. Our most recent theme is Urban, with the quarterly theme of Landmarks. The Big Reveal of all of our quilts is May 1st, next Friday. I’ve got my ideas and am working forward with them. Stop back then and take a look!

Quilts

Friendship Cross-X Block Swap, March

March 28, 2014March 22, 2014 Elizabeth E.5 Comments

Krista and I decided we were impatient about getting these done, so we sped into hyper-quilt-drive and did a double batch for this month’s swap. Above is one set, all stacked together. . .

. . . and the double set all together. As one commenter on Instagram said, it’s interesting how the switch in fabrics can make the block look so different.

This is the other set, with a few Mirror Ball Dots worked into the mix (I still have LOTS of those scraps left).

And the foursome, all in a row. Looks like I was on a blue kick here, doesn’t it? I didn’t get everyone out of their bags for an overall progress shot, so that will have to wait until the next round. Come and see us on our Flickr Group where Krista has put up a picture up all of our blocks together.

Quilts

March Cross-X Blocks

February 28, 2014October 15, 2014 Elizabeth E.8 Comments

It’s Cross-X Blocks time again! The last Friday of every month, Krista of KristaStitched and I post about our swaps that we’ve done. Above are the eight blocks I made for February, four for Krista and four for me. Our Flickr group is *here* if you want to see what everyone is doing.

Here’s mine, all alone after sending my blocks off to her.

My organizing fetish surges to the front at times like this, as I like to see our progress. Krista’s ahead of me, having sent me two March blocks. I have to get going to keep up with her!

And here they are, all together. I can’t believe the number of blocks is growing this fast.

I like playing with the blocks because I get to look more closely at what Krista’s been up to. Here are four of my recent favorites of hers (above and below).

And one last shot of the blocks, made up in Madrona Road (with a few oldies). I hope Krista has her sunglasses!

Quilts

Friendship Cross-X Block Swap, January 2014

January 30, 2014October 15, 2014 Elizabeth E.8 Comments

Since it’s the last Friday of the month, it’s time to post our Friendship Cross-X block swap blocks. Say that one five times really fast. Our Flickr group is *here* and you can grab a quilty pal and start anytime! Above are my four blocks, and no, you’re not seeing double. Well, you are, but it’s supposed to be that way.

Krista, of KristaStitched, is my quilt-swap buddy, and I sent off her blocks and received some in return:

Look how nice they play together. We began to notice some variation creeping into our blocks, and took the time to really study what was going on them.

I did a search on these blocks and found this display (not our blocks). I’ve circled the different blocks; can you see why? It’s the weensy little background triangles. As Krista and I talked we noticed that most of these tiny triangle blocks, or as I refer to them, the backiest-of-the-background triangles, are from the same fabrics. I don’t think others in the Friendship Swap run into this, because all of theirs seem to be controlled colors and hues. But Krista and I decided to go for it, and make ours scrappy, so are discovering things about the block that we hadn’t noticed before.

We now plan to make sure our backgrounds (our backiest-backgrounds) are all the same, and to keep with our two basic rules: 1) add some text somewhere in the block and 2) keep a strong contrast between the X and the + parts. Sometimes the littlest changes can have big impacts.

And here they all are together!

Come back tomorrow, February 1st for the reveal of our second challenge of the Urban series: Structures. There are eight of us doing this Four-In-Art Art quilt challenge (so named for the four challenges we have a year), and I’ll present mine as well as link to the other quilts.

100 Quilts · Creating · Quilts

Cross-X Swap, January Update

January 10, 2014October 15, 2014 Elizabeth E.9 Comments

Krista sent me these too close to Christmas to post (and besides, no one was reading any blogs that week anyway), so here they are on the New Year, now that we’ve all put away our decorations, celebrated, vacuumed and have actually resumed some sense of order in our lives. Or at least pretend we have.

We are in the (I can never get this right) the Plus and X Friendship Swap. Or the X and Plus Swap. I just call it the Cross-X swap, as noted in the title, and all our blocks — thus far swapped — are on my pinwall, above. Cool, huh?

As of this post, she is all caught up, but I’m now 4 blocks behind for January. I can just hear her saying “Neener, neener, neener!” I’ll catch up, Krista, I promise. I notice that usually we try to make the background all the same, but in her blocks sent for January, she’s varied the backgrounds. I’m trying to decide if I like her new twist, but she’s very creative and a really wonderful swap partner, so I need to be open to new ideas. We try to blog the last Fridays of each month and hey–it’s only the 10th, and I need to get out several blocks promised for a cooperative group quilt, two bee blocks, and I’m working really hard on my Amish With A Twist-2 quilt, too.

Quilt Frolic has a new home. During Christmastime, all our children and grandchildren came home, and my youngest, Peter, and his wife, Megan, stayed with us the entire week while waves of family moved in and out of the two other available rooms.

I had this quilt on their bed, and one morning Megan was relating a conversation she had with Peter about how much she like this quilt. “I mean, I really like it,” she said. And she asked my son if she thought she could, like, borrow it, or even have it.

Megan, that is music to a quilter’s ears! I gave it to her on the spot. I was thrilled that she liked it well enough to want it, and I think she was thrilled to take it home. Megan really liked the fabrics in it–a combo of Amy Butler and some Anna Maria Horner–a kind of fabric that suits Megan well. She did get it into her teensy little carryon for the trip across the United States, to their home on the East Coast.

I am glad that this quilt has gone to someone who loves it!

Quilts

Friendship Cross-X Block Swap, part 1

November 28, 2013November 28, 2013 Elizabeth E.11 Comments

First, start with four blocks, and plan to send two to Krista in October. Realize that this was merely a good intention, and as you missed October’s Friendship Swap post, you’ll save them to send later.

Next, make eight more blocks and send four to Krista in November, along with the two from October. (Actually, I made December’s and sent to her already, but you’re not seeing them until our Official Blogging Date of the Last Friday of Every Month. Or so say the instigators of this fun swap, Carla at Lollyquiltz and Susan of Patchwork ‘n’ Play.)

Receive Krista’s blocks in the mail and do a happy dance, but remind her. . . hey lady, send me one more!

Put them all together: Krista’s and mine from October and November, plus one orphan block you had when you wanted to start this quilt about two years ago, but never did, so are infinitely grateful to Krista for inviting you to be her swap partner in this Friendship Swap. Thanks, Krista!

Here’s an inspirational photo, just so you know where we’re going with all this. Every last Friday of the month until we reach 63 blocks and declare it a quilt!

P.S. Some call it x and+ swap. Some call it cross and plus swap. Whatever you call it, take a look at our Flickr feed and join in the fun!