Gridster Bee Blocks: January & February

How are those New Year's Resolutions coming for 2019? I'm more of a continual upheaval type of gal.
The book for a newly organized book club I aspire to join has arrived from Amazon. We'll be reading The Brave Art of Motherhood, which I'm no authority on, being several pages in. So far, it reflects some of what I've noticed about balancing my quilting passion with attempting to cherish the fleeting parenting moments.
I've decided to let a quilting group go that meets across town shortly after rush hour, but before my husband is supposed to get off work. However, I'm attempting to get back on track with attending ABQMQG, even though some of my closest friends have moved to other states or other hobbies. Maybe I could even make some new ones, like a mature adult--- the kind who reads books without pictures sometimes, if only a few pages of the first chapter.
I'm mentally preparing for spring: that special time of bunnies and bouquets, the weeks that pass in a blur of melting precipitation before you realize you missed sign ups for summer activities. Then you panic because you wonder what you'll do with four stir-crazy kids at home. Just me? Not this year! I'm going to rock the Google calendar now that I know its inclination to plug my reminders in on a day in 1972, in a month I never intended.
This all brings me to a thinking I'll share my Gridster Bee blocks while I'm not so far behind that I'd have trouble unearthing them from the digital picture archives, as was the case for the later part of 2018. You can check out our previous blocks at #gridsterbee on Instagram.

January brought cute little trees for Carol Gillen designed by Kristina Brinkerhoff of Center Street Quilts. She has the most beautiful Instagram feed. You can get the patterns from her Etsy store. I completed a Geometric Christmas Tree and a Mod Tree, and they came together easy paper-peasy. Just make sure you set your printer to a scale of 100%. I can't tell you how many times I've neglected to do that, but I can tell you it's been recently.

February brought cute little heart houses for Elizabeth Eastmond of OPQuilt. You can check her out on IG too.

She designed the pattern for her Merrion Square class.

Perfect Treats Quilt Along: Push Pop Block

I'm back with the Push Pop Block for the Perfect Treats Quilt Along. 

Catch the previous posts in the tab above. 

Share your progress on social media in my new Facebook group and on IG using #perfecttreatsquiltalong, #figofabrics and #keepingitfigo. Tag @quiltingmod and @figofabrics.

The instructions below will create three 10" x 20" finished blocks, which is what you will need for the complete 72" x 79" quilt.

Background A:
(6) 2 1/2" x 20 1/2"
(3) 6 1/2" x 2 1/2"
(12) 2 1/2" squares (Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side from corner to corner.)
(2) 3" x 16 1/2"

Push Pop Side D:
(3) 6 1/2" x 2 1/2"
(6) 2 1/2" squares (Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side from corner to corner.)

Push Pop Top H:
6 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Push Pop Wrapper I:
(3) 6 1/2" x 7 1/2"
(6) 2 1/2" squares (Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side from corner to corner.)

Stick J:
(3) 1 1/2" x 16 1/2"

Align (2) 2 1/2" A squares in the top corners and (2) 2 1/2" D squares in the bottom corners of each 6 1/2" x 4 1/2" H as shown, stitch on the line, and cut the bottom two layers to reduce the seam allowance to 1/4" to create stitch and flip triangles (SFT). Use (2) 2 1/2" I squares in the bottom corners of each 6 1/2" x 2 1/2" D as shown to make SFTS. Make SFTs using (2) 2 1/2" A squares in the bottom corners of each 6 1/2" x 7 1/2" I.

Sew a 3" x 16 1/2" A to the right and left sides of 1 1/2" x 16 1/2" J. Crosscut into (3) 5 1/2" sections. 

Here's what it looks like in real life: 

Sew the units together as shown. Add 6 1/2" x 2 1/2" to the top, and 2 1/2" x 20 1/2" A to the right and left sides.

In real life, it looks something like this:

Just like that, you're all wrapped up with these blocks!

Perfect Treats Quilt Along: Popsicle Block

Today we're doing the Popsicle Block as part of the Figo-sponsored Perfect Treats Quilt Along.

See previous posts by clicking the heading above.

Share your progress on social media using #perfecttreatsquiltalong, #figofabrics and #keepingitfigo. Tag @quiltingmod and @figofabrics.

Remember the final quilt?

To the cutting table!

Background A:
(4) 20 1/2" x 1 1/2"
(4) 2 1/2" x 17 1/2"
(4) 20 1/2" x 2 1/2"
(24) 2 1/2" squares (Draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner.)
(3) 3 1/2" x 22"
(2) 2" x 22"

Single Pop Fabric D:
(12) 2 1/2" x 12 1/2"

Single Pop Stripe Fabric E:
(8) 1 1/2" x 12 1/2"

Twin Pop Fabric F:
(8) 5 1/2" x 12 1/2"

Stick Fabric G:
(3) 2 1/2" x 22"

Some assembly required...

All seam allowance are 1/4". Create 22" strip sets by sewing a 2" A to 2 1/2" G to 3 1/2" A to 2 1/2" G to 2" A as shown. Crosscut into (4) 5 1/2" sections to create double stick units.

Place 2 1/2" A squares in the top two corners of each 5 1/2" x 12 1/2" F rectangle with right sides together and the lines positioned as shown (except using the yellow fabric). Stitch on the line, or a hair toward the side of the line closest to the corner. Press A toward the corner, aligning with the corner of F. Trim the bottom two layers to a 1/4" seam allowance.

Here's the real life view:

Sew the twin pop units together as shown. Attach the double stick unit.

In real life, it looks like this.

Create (4) 22" strip sets by sewing a 3 1/2" A to 2 1/2" G to 3 1/2" A as shown. Crosscut into (4) 5 1/2" sections to create single stick units.

Create (4) 12 1/2" single pop units by sewing 2 1/2" D to 1 1/2" E to 2 1/2" D to 1 1/2" E to 2 1/2" D as shown.

Place 2 1/2" A squares in the top two corners of each single pop unit with right sides together and the lines positioned as shown. Stitch on the line, or a hair toward the side of the line closest to the corner. Press A toward the corner, aligning with the corner of D. Trim the bottom two layers to a 1/4" seam allowance.

Sew a 2 1/2" x 17 1/2" A rectangle in between each pop block. Sew a 20 1/2" x 2 1/2" A rectangle to the top and a 20 1/2" x 1 1/2" A rectangle to the bottom of each unit.

 

That's it. More blocks to come!