November's ScrapBeeLicious Queen was Alyce and she requested X Plus blocks with this Liberty print as our color inspiration:
Gorgeous, right? Now a print like this makes me very, very aware of a big blind spot in my stash - prints. Not to say that I have mostly solids, but about 95% of all my fabrics are monochromatic prints. Not that this is usually a problem, but probably something that I should be more aware of when I fabric shop. But I digress...
It's obviously not November anymore but thankfully (according to Wombat Quilt's very helpful Bee Etiquette post) I am not technically late yet! This gave me a chance to scan our Flickr group and see what other bee members had already created. I saw a lot of red centers so decided to mix things up a bit and use the mustard yellow along with Alyce's requested dark greys for the plus lines.
I got to sneak in one of my last few Birds & Bees scraps and a little 1001 Peeps too!
The X Plus block has been pretty popular lately and I've seen a lot of versions that are fantastic but this was my first attempt and it was a pretty fun block to make. I can see how people can crank them out assembly line style!
One thing that I am really glad I had read on Little & Lots' blog about her X Plus Quilt was how to use the large amount of triangle scraps that these blocks create. She found a tip and turned the scraps from her X Plus into a WHOLE OTHER QUILT. Love it! So I followed suit and from just these two blocks, I now have a nice little pile of 16 pink and teal HSTs - I think they'll find their way into a small finish one way or another!
By the way, do any of you have blind spots in your stash or difficulty with prints like me?
Linking up:
I am totally the same way in always buying monochromatic stash basics. If I am really feeling crazy, I might have 2 colors in one fabric but that is it! I do get drawn to the brighter, more "interesting" prints but I guess I feel more justified in buying the basics that can go with multiple projects. I agree that I would like to make my stash evolve to go with more stashes that aren't so safe.
ReplyDeleteHmmm on the contrary I collect the entire set to make a quilt. It starts with the prints I like or a pre-cut, then binding & backing and some solids. I guess I have already accumulated stash for my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteOh, those HTS would make a great doll quilt. I once, did that but it just took a extra bit on the sewing since I sewed my small HTS right away.
I definitely tend to buy a lot of fabrics that have a lot of colors, but now that I think about it that's mostly just Anna Maria Horner's fault. :)
ReplyDeleteYour blocks look great I love the lime centers. I started mine today but got called in to work... I tend to stick with stash builders too and don't have a lot of prints either!
ReplyDeleteThese look great. I totally have blind spots in my stash - mainly yellows and oranges. I have a heck of a lot of blues, greens and reds though!
ReplyDeleteLove these blocks, especially putting the mustardy yellow in the middle. Can't wait to get them!
ReplyDeleteLove these blocks! Great use of colors and inspiration. I tend to have monochromatic prints with splashes of "must buy these now" prints that don't always coordinate with something else... but I'm trying to be better, maybe :) - Best, Kate
ReplyDeleteMy stash is quite small and I think I prefer to keep it that way 75% of what I buy has a purpose for a specific project, the rest is usually back up plans for those projects or mini projects that never get worked on!
ReplyDeleteI have too many prints in my stash and not enough solids! Love your xplus blocks - I just finished my quilt and it feels so good to have it done.
ReplyDelete