Hiding a goof with a Louisiana block

Gramz Quilts — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 02:19:00 GMT

It all started when I decided to rearrange a few items in the bathroom. This required moving the board with six coat hooks (I find hooks more practical than a towel bar) to a different wall. Unfortunately, when I removed the board, it pulled the paint and part of the new drywall with it. Oh, man, did I goof! I know better than to try to repair the drywall myself because I will make a royal mess of it, so I decided to cover it with a little quilt project until the drywallers return to finish up some details. I figure it is a good excuse to work on the skills that have become rusty.

I have heard other quilters talk about how relaxing it is to do hand work while watching television. So I thought this would be a good project to work on in the evenings.

Someone had given me a copy of the Dec 2010 issue of "American Patchwork & Quilting" and I saw a pretty quilt by Bonnie Olaveson which used the Louisiana block. I cut all the pieces out and started this first block by hand. It was not at all relaxing for me. The next block was done by machine! This is the Louisiana block I did using a scrap of a batik fabric:

It is my first attempt at making flying geese (something I had always avoided as too fussy and wasteful of fabric; I have since changed my mind). I also thought it would be a good opportunity to practice using varied scales and print designs from my stash. I originally intended to make three blocks, but I had trouble eliminating some fabrics so I ended up with four. It was so silly of me to start this project by hand. Machine is definitely the way for me to go!

I took pictures of the finished blocks to help me identify which scales of prints worked best together. The block on the far right is too busy for my taste, but since it uses some favorite fabrics from my stash, I decided to keep it anyway. This block uses fabrics from the quilt I made for my sister:

This block almost didn't get made because I thought it would not work well with the other fabrics. I figured I would make it anyway and probably leave it out of the project, but since it turned out to be my favorite block I decided to leave it in even if it is not as busy as the other three blocks.

My sewing machine had been packed away for nearly a year so I had to get used to using it all over again. Then I decided to dive in and do some FMQ. It certainly isn't perfect, but I still like it.

The back:

I thought the Louisiana block reminded me of butterflies. Since there are butterflies printed on my shower curtain, I thought it would be cute. Turns out there are not so many butterflies in the little quilt, but it sure makes a pretty band-aid. I'll post a pic after I get it bound.

Gramz

Gramz's Blog : band-aid, scale

Hiding a goof with a Louisiana block