Buzz block #12: string X block

The outside wall of my cube

I’m the proud owner of 6 new blocks! Aren’t they beautiful? Let me explain.

April was my month to be the “queen bee” for our office quilting bee, The Buzz. So for my block I went back to the original source book for this bee: Block Party—the Modern Quilting Bee by Alissa Haight Carlton and Kristen Lejnieks. The string X block that I picked involves paper piecing, a new technique for some buzzers. But it’s not traditional paper piecing. It has a twist and can be as wonky as you want. Fun, right?

The other difference I added is that I’m asking each person to sign the front of her block. I’m thinking the signatures will spark good memories someday when I’m old and gray.

I recently worked on We Love Color, a book in which all the quilts are made from Kaufman Kona cotton solids. Ever since then I’ve been wanting to make a quilt from solids. Here was my chance. I went to 3 fabric stores and bought every blue Kona cotton I could find. Then I took them home and “played” with them. I tried different combinations of the fabrics and photographed each combo. Here’s my progression:

With greens in the mix

Without greens; notice the creamy gray

Took out the creamy gray; my final choice of fabrics

Using a camera is a great way to see if you’ve got a combo you like. It’s the same effect as looking at your fabrics through a reducing glass. There’s something about being “once removed” from the fabrics that helps you see more clearly how they’re blending, what’s missing, or what doesn’t belong. Try it and let me know your results!