New Spruce

Last week at least eight mature trees were cut in front of the church I attend. Some of them were growing too close to the fence, and some threatened a walkway. Others obstructed the view of the building from the road. Understanding all this somehow doesn’t lessen my sense of loss. I really hate to see any tree cut down. The name of today’s block is New Spruce. It’s a variation on a traditional pattern called Tree of Life. It’s just a bit complicated, with lots of half-square triangles that are kind of picky about when and where they’re placed. The block is meant to be set on point, so when you look at it, you should probably tilt your head 45 degrees to the left. There. That’s better.

Autry Square

Today’s block is called Autry Square. It’s named for Gene Autry, The Singing Cowboy. Back in the Saddle Again was his signature song, but you’re probably much more familiar with his Christmas songs: Here Comes Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Autry was also a big deal on the silver screen. He died in 1998, just weeks after the death of another singing cowboy, Roy Rogers. I like the look of this block, the way the yellow rails seem to float above a bordered diamond. But I can’t picture making a whole quilt of these blocks. They’d be more trouble than they’re worth.

Dove at the Window

Before we moved here, we knew England was a wetter, greener place than the Midwest. We knew there would be more trees, and we were excited at the prospect of seeing badgers and hedgehogs. But the birds were a bit of a surprise. There are just so many! Most of them are familiar: doves, magpies, sparrows, blackbirds, mallards, crows. But English robins are nothing like the ones at home. They’re smaller and rounder, and they blush all the way up to their faces. Pheasants and Canada geese were brought here centuries ago as game birds, and they seem to be thriving. Today’s block, Dove at the Window, is for the dove that watched me have breakfast from my neighbor's roof. The block is just a little clumsy. If I had it to do over again, I’d have made it with more flying geese and fewer half square triangles.

Cat and Mice

John and I have owned cats nearly the whole time we’ve been married. At the moment, though, we only have a dog; a Westie/Schnauzer mix named Duffy. He’s a delightful companion, whether we're playing ball, taking walks or just watching TV together. A cat would get into my sewing things, track kitty litter through the house, cough up hairballs, leave PARTS of mice on the doorstep, and leap on the kitchen counter when my back is turned. So why do I miss having a cat in the house? I wish I knew. One of our neighbors has a beautiful tuxedo cat. I see him making his rounds nearly every morning. I don’t know where he’s going or why, but he’s clearly not pleased to find me watching him. Today’s block is called Cat and Mice. Interesting name. If there’s only one cat here, then there are five mice. And one mouse is INSIDE the cat!

Greek Cross

I had several tiny triangle-shaped scraps of red and white fabric left over from the Feathered Star block I posted last week. I could have tossed them into my scrap bag. But most of the contents of that bag are 1" or 2" strips. I was thinking of using those strips in a pioneer Log Cabin quilt, a bright Pineapple or an Americana Courthouse Steps. There's no place in those designs for little red or white triangles. So I held them back, waiting for inspiration to strike. Today they became a Greek Cross quilt block. I used every single triangle, and I only had to cut a bit more white fabric to make it happen. The thing I like best about this block is the way the four positive Shoo-Fly designs create a negative Shoo-Fly in the center. It might be fun to make an entire quilt with blocks like these. Something else to do with all these scraps.

Scottish Cross

This Scottish Cross block is in honor of Robert Burns, whose 252nd birthday is today. The day is traditionally celebrated with a formal meal involving haggis and a good deal of whiskey. I'm not fond of either so we're having chicken enchiladas for supper. We may even make root beer floats later. Two other  Burns Night traditions are the playing of bagpipes and reciting Burns' poetry. As I have no pipes (yet), I'll share a snip from "To A Louse, On Seeing One On A Lady's Bonnet At Church," cleaned up a bit so any Yank may read it:

"Oh would some power the small gift give us to see ourselves as others see us.
It would from many a blunder free us, and foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us, and even devotion."

Mariner's Compass

I've wanted to make a Mariner's Compass since I first saw one. I find the narrow angles and clean lines very attractive. The block in my mind is perfect. The center lines up where it should and the points look sharp enough to draw blood. It's a shame this real block can't compare with the imaginary one. It might have turned out better if I'd followed a printed pattern. But I wanted one that would fit inside the ribbon border, and I couldn't find a pattern the right size. So I drew one of my own. I read somewhere that when he was in his late eighties, Michelangelo scribbled, "Ancora Imparo" in the margin of a sketchbook. It means "I'm still learning." It's important to remind ourselves that we're all works in progress. I'll make another Mariner's Compass someday. While it probably won't be perfect either, I'm sure it will improve on my first try.

Whirlwind

Not far from my house is a field of windmills. I've heard them called eyesores, but to me they're lovely. When the wind is blowing, as it almost always is, they cut slow and graceful swaths in the air. I don't know how much power they produce, but I do like to look at them. They're as much a part of the landscape for me as the green fields, the stone walls or the placid sheep. Today's block is actually four 6" pinwheel blocks sewn together. I don't think I've ever met a pinwheel block I didn't like. I love the way little triangles join together to produce the illusion of motion. I love even more that there are always secret pinwheels hiding between the ones you see. How many pinwheels do YOU see?

Wandering Foot

It is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. I was satisfied with the Turkey Foot block when I posted it on January 17. But the more I looked at it, the more it irritated me. It wasn’t perfectly square. If I tried to cut it into a square, I’d have lost some of the points. Worst of all, it didn’t lie flat. What a mess! I couldn’t just throw it out. With good cotton fabric going at $9 a yard, I can’t abide tossing even tiny scraps. So I took out all the seams, ironed all the pieces flat, recut and rebuilt the block. It’s still a Turkey Foot (Wandering Foot is also its name) but with straight lines instead of curves. It’s not quite a perfect 12.5" square, but it’s pretty darn close. And this time it lies flat. Ta-dah!

Signature Piece

This is the second time I've made a Signature block. The first time I hand-appliqued a yellow circle to a green square, then sliced the square into quarters. This time I machine-pieced yellow pie shapes to green C-shaped pieces. I'm not sure which method I prefer. Machine piecing is faster. But I did the applique while riding in the car; impossible with a machine. Bits of handwork like this are fun to tote along. Then there's the added benefit that people SEE you doing it. Even strangers come up and admire your work. I know the machine-pieced circle is exactly centered. With the first block I kept imagining I'd cut it wrong and it was off by a hair. Even measuring didn't get rid of the feeling that it wasn't quite right. There is a bit less bulk in the machine-stitched block. Bulk in a quilt top is NEVER a good thing.

Escapade

This is the eleventh block in a series of twelve I'm making for a quilt called American Beauty. I've enjoyed making these blocks, but it's about time to set them aside and work on something else for a while. Something not yellow and green and bubblegum pink. Maybe what I'm tiring of isn't the colors themselves. It's that every block uses every one of them. None of these blocks use less than six fabrics when two or three would suffice. There's little contrast. Except for white and dark green, they have the same value. The definition of the pieces is lost in general noise. Maybe I can get what my eyes are hungry for with a redwork quilt. Or a black-and-white. When I finished the block I showed it to Heather and told her its name: Escapade. She said, "Of course." I must have looked puzzled because she showed me the pink X in the center. "EX-capade, Mom."

Feathered Star

I'm so very proud of my quilter's snowflake. I foolishly started it months ago, before I realized I didn't have all the information I needed to finish it. The pattern came from a 5-year-old copy of a quilting magazine. Most of the pieces were described in the article itself. Others were templates drawn in an insert that I was missing. I asked around, but none of my quilting friends could help. I found a website that advertised back issues of the magazine, but they no longer carried the one I wanted. Then I found it on eBay. But when it finally came in the mail it was missing the insert! In the end I did the math and redrew the missing pieces myself. The result isn't perfect, but at least I don't have to add it to my What Was I Thinking? file.

Turkey Foot

Yes, I know there are other birthdays to celebrate, but I thought I'd focus on Benjamin Franklin. He would have been 305 today. He was a statesman, a printer, a diplomat and a postmaster. He was an inventor, too. He gave us the lightening rod, the odometer, bifocal lenses, and the Franklin stove. We can thank him for gems like, "A penny saved is a penny earned." "Fish and visitors smell after three days." And "Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead." This Turkey Foot block is in his honor. As the story goes, someone complained that the bald eagle on the Great Seal adopted by congress in 1782 looked more like a turkey than an eagle. Franklin's response was to say that a turkey would make a better symbol, as the turkey lives by its wits while the eagle profits from the work of others. Not bad for a fellow who flew kites in thunderstorms.

Ballerina

England is the greenest place I've ever seen. Everywhere you look you see green trees, green hedgerows, and green grass, even in the middle of winter. Thick moss grows at the edges of footpaths, stone walls and rooftops. Everything that isn't routinely is scrubbed down eventually becomes covered with a green slime. It's green because it's so damp here. There are seldom three days in a row without rain. When it's really raining hard, our neighbors say it's "bucketing down." Today we had my least favorite weather: sideways rain. All day the wind has blown too hard to use an umbrella. And yet it's raining too hard not to. It's no fun to be outside on a day like today, but it's the perfect day to sit inside and quilt. Today's block is called Ballerina. Isn't she graceful?

Night Music

I find this block really appealing. I love the bold four-pointed star in the center, with her four ladies-in-waiting close at hand. Its name is Night Music, which doesn't quite suit the spring morning colors. I'd like to do a quilt with several of these blocks, in shades of gold and blue. The center of the block has a Y-seam. These used to scare me, but they're not as bad as they sound. If you measure and cut carefully, if you're precise about a scant 1/4 " seam, and if you keep you're wits about you, they'll fall in place every time.

Abracadabra

This block is called Abracadabra. Its name may have something to do with the fact that the points of all the pieces in the center just lock into place like magic. I love it when things work out that way. This afternoon we walked into town to shop for something that had been sold out on our last trip. But today it was right there on the shelf, waiting for us. Two days ago we were surprised to see little green sprouts between tree roots; the very first signs of crocuses, snowdrops and hyacinths. I know winter is far from over, but just seeing those little shoots makes me feel so...grateful. Gratitude is a funny thing. When you start looking for things to be thankful for, they suddenly start popping up all over. Just like magic.

Summer Breeze

The name of today's block is Summer Breeze. It's a pleasant thought in the middle of January. I like the idea of four seasons, but if I could do away with one of them altogether it would surely be winter. I idle away the dull hours thumbing through seed catalogs and dreaming about vegetables and flowers I'd like to plant when the days are a bit longer. I read travel books and imagine all the places I'd like to visit when the weather is kinder. I guess that's one thing January is good for. There's plenty of time for introspection, for planning and setting goals. It's probably why the year begins just after the winter solstice. Can you imagine setting New Year's resolutions in, say, August?

Children Take Flight

Yesterday the Association for Library Service to Children announced this year’s winners of the Caldecott and Newbery Awards. Of course they announced them while I was fast asleep last night, so I had to wait until this morning to find out who won. The Caldecott, which recognizes picture books, went to Erin and Philip Stead for A Sick Day for Amos McGee. I’d thought Mo Willems’ City Dog, Country Frog had a better chance. Or maybe Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming. The Newbery winner this year was Moon over Manifest by newcomer Clare Vanderpool. I wonder if this award has ever been given to a first time author before. Today’s block is Children Take Flight. It’s what happens when a child gets into a good book, and the book gets into the child.

Bunny Hop

I’ll post the photo of Bunny Hop with a disclaimer. I will probably never be comfortable with applique. I worked very hard at getting those tiny Easter basket handles just right. I ironed them within an inch of their lives, and still they've come out puckered. If you've never done needle-turn applique, take it from me; this was HARD. Those quilt handles are only 1/4" thick. They're made of cotton fabric that didn't want to be cut and sewn into little half circles. I can only hope that when the block is set into a quilt top and quilted, I can look at those pink handles without seeing red. If I can't, the quilt will be a gift to someone I don't visit very often.

Double Delight

It’s Saturday already! The first week of the new year has really flown. The quilt block today is called Double Delight. For some odd reason it reminds me of ice cream. Homemade, hand-cranked Strawberry Ice Cream, spooned straight off the dasher in your own backyard. Or the Mint Chocolate Spray at Snelgrove's, with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. Or Baskin Robbins' Daiquiri Ice. Or the Watermelon Sherbet from Friendly's Ice Cream. Or maybe Ben and Jerry's Baked Alaska. In a waffle cone. Two scoops, please. I deserve it. Besides, it's the weekend.

Leap Frog

Today my youngest child turned 25. Heather has Down Syndrome, so she'll always be about eight years old. But we've been blessed to share her days for a quarter of a century. She appeared at breakfast this morning wearing a fabric crown. I suspect she'll still have it on at bedtime tonight. Today's block, Leapfrog, is in her honor. Green is her favorite color. On any given day Heather can be seen sporting striped spring green socks, lime Crocs, an olive T-shirt, Who-the-Shrek-Are-You? nail polish, or all of the above. She chose this block because Disney's Princess and the Frog is currently her favorite movie. It's just a good thing Tangled won't hit our theater for a few more weeks. I don't know if I can find a block named Rapunzel.

Epiphany Star

Today is the twelfth day of Christmas; the day we celebrate the visitation of the magi. It is the bittersweet end of the holiday season. For years on this day I'd put away the decorations, frighten a few dust bunnies, and make two loaves of panettone. The first one my family would eat almost before it cooled. The second we'd bundle in a tea towel and take to Carolyn and Val's house. We'd butcher a Christmas carol on their doorstep until they invited us in. We'd sit on their sofa, admire their lovely nativity and chat for a bit before heading back into the cold night. We had to give up this tradition two years ago when we moved here. I miss it. I miss them, more than I can express. I designed this block for them - a reminder of the star that led travellers from the east.

Tiffany Block

Tiffany is the name of today's block. I'm not terribly fond of this one. It wasn’t difficult to put together, but the end product is a little...boring. I do like the name, though. I've always adored the lovely Art Nouveau shades with stained leaded glass. I love the elegant lamp bases that look as if they grew right there. The last time we ate at our favorite Ruby Tuesday's restaurant, they had redecorated. They’d swapped the organ pipes, snow shoes and other paraphernalia for framed art that would be at home in any Holiday Inn.  They said they were selling off their old Tiffany-style hanging lamps. I mentally kick myself every time I remember I could have bought one for a fraction of the going rate, but didn't.

Strawberry Hill

Today's block is called "Strawberry Hill." It took me a while to see the strawberries, but they're there. Four of them; big fat California strawberries, still wearing their leafy crowns. Today breakfast was whole wheat waffles topped with strawberry jam. The waffles were the frozen kind. We've searched several months for a waffle maker in the UK. Like popcorn poppers, ice cream freezers and electric skillets, they don't seem to exist. The jam was homemade though. It was a Christmas gift from a very dear friend who grew the berries last spring in her own backyard. In the middle of the darkest, coldest time of the year, a taste of sunshine. Delicious!

Encore

Today's block is called Encore. It's French for "Again." I'm guessing it's called this because it has a green 8-pointed star wrapped around a pink 8-pointed star. Today was a lovely day. It might have been a good day to spend downtown, if it hadn't also been a holiday. Because Christmas and New Year's were both on Saturdays, we've had two back-to-back four-day weekends. Eight of the last eleven days, the banks and libraries have been closed. Mail hasn't come. Trash hasn't been picked up. The shops, cafes, buses and car parks have been mobbed. I can't wait for the holidays to be over. I understand with the royal wedding coming just one week after Easter, we'll have the same kind of double whammy again in April. Encore.

Bewitched

I’m keeping my New Year's resolutions practical this year. I won't be winning the lottery or losing 40 pounds or climbing Mount Everest. I'll save those for another time. Instead I thought I’d piece a patchwork quilt block every day and post it so anyone who cares to see it can. Well, almost a block every day. I’ll skip Sundays. Maybe some Saturdays, too. And any day when I'm on holiday. Why be inside sewing when I could be out playing tourist? Ideally, the way you spend New Year's Day should reflect the way you hope the year will be spent. With that in mind I woke early, chatted with my kids, ate French Toast, walked the dog with my husband, and did a little housework. Then I watched old Disney cartoons with my daughter while I pieced the first block of the year. This one is called Bewitched. I have no idea why.