Thursday, October 15, 2020

Green and Purple Orphan Blocks


Hello, hello! How's that for an eye-catching sunset? It's actually from months ago, when we were in Massachusetts, and now we're back in MA after cruising Maine for two months. So I'm a bit behind posting finishes and it is time to catch up. 


This purple and green quilt was made completely from orphan blocks donated to Covered in Love. I grouped them by design, color and/or size and sashed between the rows with a nice leafy green.


I did a bit of dot-to-dot quilting to bring out the character of each block. 



This simple two color star ended up being my favorite because of how the quilting looked. I'm finding that when I'm feeling a little "meh" about a piece, taking the time to do special quilting really helps. It forces me to take a step back and really SEE the individual blocks and appreciate the many hands and hearts that go into the mission of Covered in Love.


These wonky hexie log cabins are so fun!


The back is this pretty purple and olive green batik donated by Jan. I pieced several lengths together using the same solid green as the binding. This is an easy way to not have to match patterns and helps tie the binding into the design.


I'll end with a quick "glamour shot" with the water in the background. It never gets old! However, the relentless wind does get a bit tiring in terms of trying to get flat quilt photos. I gave up this week and finally took a bunch of indoor shots that you'll see in the next few posts. Stay safe and well, everyone!

17 comments:

  1. You know you just have the touch, that knack to make the orphan blocks come together and live! I am always amazed at what you put together and how it all works. It has a great deal to do with you being the thread that binds all the quiltmakers together. I just thought you should know and remember that. I love the combo of blocks, and your quilting. Smooth sailing!

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  2. I love seeing your orphan block quilts. I have enjoyed making them this year too along with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. BTW, I sent you a bag of orphan blocks that I had left over. Many are from my early quilting days and are not uniform in size. *cough* They’re yours to do with as you see fit!

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  3. I am always amazed at what you can do with orphan blocks. You just seem to know how to make them work together. Nice quilting.

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  4. Always fun to see how you take all those blocks and make them work together! The backings too. This is a fun quilt and I'm sure it will make someone happy. It has been really windy here too that last few days, and a bit chilly - it's just 30 degrees this morning at 6 am. Brr.

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  5. Those orphan blocks look so pretty together. You brought them together in the best ways with the greens and the quilting. Glad you are staying well! We had a little bit of a scare when our realtor tested positive with COVID the day after he showed us a house! But all was well, as we never had any symptoms at all.

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  6. Covered in Love indeed! Love the extra love your quilting added!

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  7. I second Debbie's comment. You are a master at orphan block quilt construction with a real talent to making mismatched blocks work together. And a good suggestion on putting a contrasting strip between baking section to avoid matching issues. Assuming you are sailing south, I hope you can get to your winter destination without weather or medical woes.
    Pat

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  8. Lovely sunset but really the quilt is the star. You’ve done a marvelous job bringing together these very different blocks/colors. And really your quilting is amazing. Thanks for bringing these blocks together so well and giving them a job helping people.

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  9. Well, we all know where to send our orphan blocks that need a home. You do such a fantastic job of combining them into a perfect quilt. There's just no one who does it better than you. I love the colors in this quilt. I especially like to look for little surprises (like that frog in the wonky hexie log cabins) in the blocks that contributors send in. Your dot to dot quilting was perfect for this quilt.
    Love the sunset! You & Sean take such majestic pictures on your journey across the waters.
    Thanks for your kind heart & all you do!
    Hugs!

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  10. I love how you have bundled up a group of blocks together and with such a wonderful result.... of course the lovely sea and sunset pictures are wonderful too... must have been a lovely time cruising...
    Hugz

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  11. You always do such a lovely job with your Orphan Block quilts, Louise. This one is a beauty!

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  12. I am always amazed how you put together orphan blocks from different styles and make something look cohesive. Good job Louise! I never tire of seeing your water shots either:)

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  13. Green and purple are such a pretty color combination! Your quilting is really special on this one, too - so amazing what you can do in your floating sewing room. I think spending the summer exploring the coast of Maine sounds fabulous!

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  14. I agree with Debbie. You are really a design expert on what you do for those orphan blocks and quilt tops. I learn a lot by studying your creations. What is dot to dot quilting? It certainly is effective and beautiful!

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  15. You'd never guess that those rows weren't planned. Congrats on completing a very pretty orphan block quilt.

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  16. Breathtaking sunset over the ocean, the colours are amazing.
    Beautiful purple and green quilt blocks and I love the addition of the orange/brown touches in a few of the blocks.

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I'll reply as soon as I can.