I’m working through these blocks. Before you know it, I’ll be caught up! Just in time to go back to work (after maternity leave) and fall behind again…. Well, hopefully not, we’ll have to see how life goes. On, a happier note, here’s the May blocks.
Abstract Orbit
Blades
Bubble Gum
Burst
Fractured Blades
Illusion
Thin Pin
I’ve completed the April block. I’m so close to being caught up! I don’t think I’ll get May’s done this month, but I think I can get both May and June done next month. That means it only took me half the year to catch up. (When I say it like that, it doesn’t feel so warm and fuzzy…. Oh, well, better late than never! )
To state the obvious, but something that I’m still excited about: I’m getting better and better with each block I sew. Since this was a block with 8 seams in the middle, I was able to practice keeping the bulk down and getting all the seams lined up (since January’s really didn’t go well). I was halfway there; I got the seams lined up nicely, but the bulk was ridiculous! I’ll just have to make sure my quilting doesn’t go straight through there.
Lucky Stars BOM April
Ok, May, here I come!
I’ve got the March block sewed, so now it’s time to color in the April block. I did all of them again. I keep saying to myself that I’m not going to do all of them each time. I just get to going and having too much fun and their all done again. I even had an idea for another color scheme, but I stopped myself from adding it. A girl’s got to know when to quit! 🙂
Abstract Orbit
Burst
Illusion
Fractured Blades
Blades
Bubble Gum
Thin Pin
I did it! I sewed another Lucky Star block. Now I’m only two months behind 🙂 This hasn’t been pressed. I didn’t think it looked that bad till I got the picture up here. Again, minor issues with the center seam. Still not sure what I’m doing wrong there. It’s still much better than the January block and I’m getting better and faster each time. Wait, what? Practice really does made perfect? 😉
March Lucky Star Block
Here’s the colorings for the March Lucky Star that I’m working on right now. Since I’m a couple months behind, I was really really tempted to jump in a do the May block first since that’s the latest one. I talked myself out if it though, because doing them in order (though irrelevent) makes me happier. The May block will still be awesome whenever I get to it. 🙂
Coloring March Blocks Lucky Stars
Abstract Orbit
Illusion
Burst
Blades
Bubble Gum
Thin Pin
Fractured Blades
February Lucky Stars BOM
I think part of why I like to color in the blocks before I make them is that it removes some of the ambiguity from the process. I’ve had several blocks that I thought would come out one way but ended up being very different from how I imagined them. Since I’m using solid fabrics for these blocks, they really dolook almost identical to how I colored it in. That always makes me happy. Maybe as I quilt more, I’ll get better at imagining the blocks. Or, more likely, I’ll just get better at accepting that the blocks look a little different than I thought they would 🙂
Until then, I’m still going to color. March block is being colored today!
Coloring February Blocks
I’m finally ready to start the February block in the Lucky Stars BOM! I wasn’t planning on doing any more coloring of the block since the January ones I did were just to play around with it. But I decided to go ahead for a couple reasons. One, it was fun! I loved seeing what I could come up with. Two, since I didn’t know exactly what color I wanted where, coloring it in was the safest (think: least wasting fabric way) to try it out. I”m glad I did, because I tried a couple variations before I settled on the one I liked. (I also renamed this block from January, from Alternate Orbit to Abstract Orbit, but that is really only meaningful to me.. because it makes me happy to name them…) After finishing that one, it wasn’t easy to talk myself into doing the rest of them as well. I decided not to redo my least favorite color scheme, Primary Rings. If I every want to, I’ll go back and do it
I love them all again, just like I did in January, but if I were to put them in favorite order, they would be a little different than January. Of course, Abstract Orbit is fabulous. I think my second favorite this month is actually Burst. I’m still not completely satisfied with Illusion, so I may tweak that one sometime. Enjoy!
Abstract Orbit
Illusion
Fractured Blades
Blades
Bubble Gum
Burst
Thin Pin
January Block – Alternative Orbit
I have finally completed the January block for the Lucky Stars BOM. In January I knew I wouldn’t have time to sew the block, so I decided to use Photoshop and color it in, just for fun. I posted all the ones I did here. From those, I made the Alternative Orbit block. My favorite was Illusion but I forgot to write down fabric requirements, etc, before I went to the store, so I just got the colors for the only one I could remember. I’m glad I did, because I love this one! I’ve got a layout in mind for all the blocks that I think will set off the abstractness of the blocks nicely. (Assuming I ever make it that far, which is a pretty big assumption…)
This went together fairly easily except the final center seam. You can kind of see in the picture where it’s a bit weird. I don’t think I’m going to redo this as of now. It’s a pretty tiny issue and I think it will disappear in a full quilt with quilting on top of it. If it still bothers me when the other blocks are done, maybe I’ll fix it then.
Now, on to February! Dare I hope I acutally catch up?!
I’ve signed up for the 2014 Lucky Stars block of the month over at Don’t Call Me Betsy. I’m in love with this BOM! While I’d love to jump in and start sewing, due to time constraints (and sleepiness and sickness) I probably won’t have much time to actually sew them.
However, I’m so excited about it, that I decided to color them in for some fun and some inspiration. Now, if I ever do get time to sew, I’ll have a good starting place for color ideas!
Coloring January Lucky Stars Blocks
I ended up coming up with 8 different ideas. I was on a roll and loving the color combos. Here they are, in no particular order:
Alternate Orbit – Lucky Stars BOM inspiration.
Illusion – Lucky Stars BOM inspiration.
Fractured Blades – Lucky Stars BOM inspiration.
Blades – Lucky Stars BOM inspiration.
Bubble Gum – Lucky Stars BOM inspiration.
Burst – Lucky Stars BOM inspiration.
Primary Rings – Lucky Stars BOM inspiration.
Thin Pin – Lucky Stars BOM inspiration.
This may be the earliest that I’ve gotten my block of the month done for the bee I’m in on Threadbias. This month’s queen asked for a monochromatic green Courthouse Steps block. After hitting the remnant bin at my LQS, here’s my contribution.
June Newbee BOM – Courthouse Steps
I also noticed that I didn’t do a post with April’s block. This one is one of my favorites and I definitely plan on doing more of these in the future. It’s a Great-Granny Block based on a tutorial from Bee in My Bonnet. It’s supposed to be squared up to 12.5″, but since this is being mailed, the queen for the month asked that they not be squared up in case it stretches. Also that will allow her room to trim to make them all match up.
Great-granny block for the April block in the Newbee Quilters Bee
LadyReed 