Red and Aqua D9P blocks received!

Back in October, I showed all of the 100 blocks I made for Jane's Red and Aqua Disappearing 9-patch block swap. You can see them by clicking HERE. Well, just the other day, George the mailman was once again my friend when he delivered my package of blocks from Jane with 100 different red and aqua D9P blocks. I couldn't wait to spread them out and see how they look...


What a variety!


I only found a few duplicate fabrics among all these blocks!


Now what do you think I should do with them? Just sew them together the way they are in the picture? Or maybe introduce a third color to use as sashing between the blocks? What color do you think would look good with these blocks?

This project will have to wait a while since I have quite a to-do list right now. First on that list is a daybed cover and pillows for a friend. After that, I need to take apart an old Christmas stocking and change one name for another in embroidery so it can continue to be used by another friend. I still have a few crochet stitches for which videos have been requested, so I need to spend some time hugging my camera...that's how I do it! And then there are the million and one things that need to be done around Thanksgiving and Christmas and general family life. You all know how that is!

Any ideas on using these quilt blocks would be welcome, so don't be shy!

Happy Stitching!

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Disappearing 9 Patch Scrappy Quilt Finished

A few months ago, I participated in my first Disappearing 9 Patch block swap which was hosted by Aunt Pitty Pat. I had never made that particular quilt block before, so I really enjoyed putting together my charm squares and seeing them come apart again into this fun and easy block.

Over the past week or so, I have been working on putting together all the blocks I received back from this swap, and yesterday I finally completed the quilt. With 40 different people participating and no theme specified, the variety of blocks was very interesting, and the resulting quilt is colorful and scrappy. I really like it. What do you think?


It turned out to be a nice lap quilt or baby quilt size, approximately 60 by 45 inches, which includes the scrappy border I added using fabric from my stash.


To arrange the blocks in a totally random way, I simply took the pile of blocks out of the bag as I had received them and started laying them out in five rows of eight. I liked the overall arrangement except for exchanging the places of two blocks so that one section would not have so much of the same color. Then I started sewing them together. Once the piecing was finished, I realized that a border would be needed, so in keeping with the scrappiness of the quilt, I fished through my stash and pulled out a variety of fabrics. I cut them into various width strips and sewed the strips together. Then I cut the resulting fabric into five inch strips and sewed them to the edges for the border. This made the quilt the perfect size for a leftover piece of batting I had and a piece of fabric for the backing that was leftover from a wedding quilt I had made for one of my sisters a very long time ago.



After layering the three together with the right sides facing each other and the batting on the top, I stitched around the edges, turned the whole thing right side out, closed the opening and topstitched around all four sides. I've been looking for opportunities to practice my machine quilting, so I dug out my walking foot and got to work, quilting along the straight lines of the blocks.


I have not yet decided what to do with this finished scrappy quilt, but I think it would make a great little floor blanket for a baby with all the colors and designs. It would also make a good picnic blanket, or a colorful lap quilt. This one may stay in my personal collection, or I may decide to donate it to our local CareNet Pregnancy Resource Center for a new mom to share with her baby.

Coming up soon here at Hooked On Needles will be an introduction to Broomstick Lace with video tutorials showing some of the techniques used for this fun and different type of crochet. I will also be sharing with you an item I made while testing a pattern for a fellow blogger, along with a giveaway of the pattern once it is available to the public. Fun stuff ahead, so stay tuned!

Happy Stitching!

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