February Sewalong...and a kitchen update

 Hello friends, 

I am back with the first set of instructions for our sewalong! This really is a super simple sewalong and once I explain how to sew your blocks you are going to be able to just run and go, making however many blocks you want for your project. So this week I will just share the cutting instructions and how you might want to organize your fabrics, and then next week I will share the sewing instructions. After that you are going to be able to just make as many blocks as you need and then I will share one final post with some updates and maybe some hints. So this sewalong should be pretty much wrapped up by the end of February! Today I am also going to share an alternate block and I think it is so sweet and versatile!

Alright, let's get started. These are the cutting instructions for the 1st option: 

The block we are making consists of 4 smaller blocks, each 4.5" unfinished, which you will sew into an 8.5" unfinished block. That will end up looking something like this block:

So grab your fabric 1.5" fabric scraps and cut the following: 

 

You will need a light and dark 1.5" square;

a light and dark rectangle 1.5 by 2.5" ;

a light and dark rectangle 1.5 by 3.5";

and a dark rectangle 1.5 by 4.5".

Each of the little blocks requires 7 pieces total, 3 that are light, and 4 that are dark.

I found it very helpful to lay my pieces out the way I show in the photo above because those are the sizes that are going to get sewn together, but for this week you can just go ahead and cut your fabrics and then next week when we sew you can organize them like this.

As I shared last week,  you can really make your blocks looks different depending on your fabric choices....

Darks ( reds, blues, and browns): 

Reds and pinks: 

Brights:  

The possibilities are endless! 

Now, if you are not into sewing 1.5" strips because those are too finicky for your liking, or maybe you don't have a stash of 1.5" strips, I have another option for you! I happen to have 2 buckets full of 2.5" strips, leftover from other projects, and I thought it would be fun to try making a variation of this block using that size strips. And I have to tell you that I LOVED making these blocks!

Using 2.5" strips, I made the following block: Option #2:

So it looks a lot like the original block, with a slight variation. The great thing about using 2.5" blocks is that the 4 blocks are 6.5" unfinished, thus making a 12.5" final block. 12.5" blocks make for a real quick quilt! I am finishing up a baby quilt using these blocks and it took hardly any time at all! 

Isn't it bright and happy? I just love it! And just imagine what it would look like in different fabrics and colors! I am already planning on making a fun Spring table runner with some pinks and yellows using this block!

If you would like to go this route, you will need to cut the following pieces for each 6.5" block:

One dark square 2.5";

One light and one dark rectangle at 2.5 by 3.5" ;

One light rectangle 2.5 by 4.5";

One dark rectangle 2.5 by 6.5".

Each one of the 6.5" blocks requires 5 strips~ 3 dark and 2 light.

If you are not sure which size block you want to make, why not try both and see which one you like best?

Now remember that in Lori Holt's example, she adds a heart applique to the center of the blocks. 

You can of course do that too, or you can add a different appliqué ( how about green and white blocks with a shamrock applique or bright and light blocks appliqued with daisies?) or you can omit the applique all together, which is what I opted to do in my baby quilt. So think about this a little bit before you make your fabric choices!

So this coming week, your "homework" is to pick out your fabrics and cut them the correct sizes. Next week I will share how I laid out my pieces and some general hints and tips about the construction.

This blog post is already pretty long, but for those of you who have been following along with our kitchen reno, we got our paint and were able to put (many more) layers of the final top coat on the cabinets and install the new hardware. 

And just for fun I will include some "before" pictures of the kitchen when we bought the house: 

And here are the "afters": 

Almost unrecognizable, isn't it? And now we are waiting on new countertops and a new (white!!) sink to get installed later in February. I am SO excited :D.

If you are still here reading until the very end, thank you for indulging me!

Until next time~happy creating!

Monique