Blocks and blocks and blocks

A few of the latest blocks I have been making behind the scenes.  Month two in the Amitie BOM Gypsy Wife quilt was this block.  I played around with the colours q bit and actually ended up with a less interesting block than the original block we were supposed to make but I like it all the same and I adore that background orange scribbly fabric.

   

In a bee I'm in called Stash Trad Bee, where we make traditional blocks from our own stashes, Elizabeth Don't Call Me Betsy asked for this radiant ring block (tutorial here).  I used a Cosmo Cricket circa 1934 green dot (the red, yellow, black and green dots from this line are close to dotty fabric perfection for me) as well as some of my trusty Etchings Wovens and a map print which Gayle sent me last summer. 

 

The free bee I am in works along the same lines in that we make blocks from our stash but these are all improv / free pieced blocks so I have to use the other side of my brain which I'm not very good at.  Ethne Flaming Stitches asked for improv equilateral triangles which sounds like an oxymoron to me (get me, fancy words).  I used my favourite Oakshott colour (OK I have a few favourite Oakshott colours...) which is called I think midnight and is in real life a really inky blacky midnighty blue, together with some sunsetty colours. Fun block to make and I hope Ethne gets well soon as she has been unwell for a few days after a contretemps with one of her dogs. 

And this block is for Amy During Quiet Time and is just the kind of block I love making, teensy little HSTs.  Once again, Etchings features in the centre of this block and in some of the tiny HSTs and there are a few classic B+W prints in there including Annie's Farm Stand, Hope Valley, American Vintage and Circa 1934.  The background is a Natural Essex Linen from Simply Solids.

And before you go, I just want to point you in the direction of a brand new blog by a colossally talented piecer and even more talented quilter, Krista Withers, also known on Flickr as lolablueocean.  She's been a big part of Flickrland for a long time but only just started her blog.  Even if you just pop over there to see her amazing Sew Out Loud block and her incredible Longarm Modern Quilting, you will not be disappointed.