The Stripes have it

     A couple of years ago (grimace), a woman at my quilt guild gave me a plastic shoe box filled with 2" scrap stripe squares. She knew I loved stripes (for bindings) and knew I loved scraps. The box was pretty full. I started to sew 9 patch blocks as leader enders. I tried a dark stripe center and then a light stripe center. I oriented all the light blocks in one direction and the dark in another. I chose the light centers. I made a lot of blocks, but had no idea what to do with them. I asked quilters experienced in scraps, but no one had an idea. I tried square in a square blocks with black and white triangles, but it was yucky.
     Then I pulled out my off-white scraps and fooled around with the stripes. I decided to put one square in the middle and frame it. Liked it. Then I combined the 9 patch blocks and the framed blocks, but it was boring on the wall. Then some fell off and tilted to suggest an on point layout. Hmm, sort of liked it.
     When I had eye surgery and could not see well, I started to put blocks on the wall and sew more blocks. I drew a sketch on graph paper and decided to make it 10 nine patches by 11 nine patches alternating rows with the framed blocks. I was obsessed with making them all. Then I was obsessed sewing them together which is a time consuming boring task. I used a stripe fabric for a thinner border and then pieced the outer border using off white with white fabric using square in a square corners.
     I can't believe I finished it all. However, my eyesight has not returned to normal. It is better than it was, but it is still like looking through a sheer curtain that moves. I put off the other eye surgery until this one clears.

Layout

All sewn

A stripe border and off-white border

Some completions

      I love to sew. Sew quilts. I hate to write, it is like giving blood. I have all kinds of photos taken, labelled and ready to post, but it is tough for me to do.
     So, let me start with two quilt finishes. They are comfort quilts and not claimed yet. The first has blocks of 30s fabric that were given to me about half done.  I thought about putting them on point and adding lots of neutrals- cream, white and then a muted periwinkle blue. I wanted it longer, so I added the white strip top and bottom. The strip has specks of the same blue as the border so I thought it was perfect. Fun to quilt. I also have a stack of larger square 30s fabric blocks that I have not figured out into a layout yet.

Back, a soft older style floral

The larger 30s blocks, hmm, what to do?

     The second qult was a 4 patch quilt block swap from my guild. I did two sets and we had 20 participants. However, the unfinished size was not adhered to by all, so I had to cut down a lot blocks and make more of my own to get enough for the quilt. I stayed the on point track and used a lot of neutrals to pull all the varied colors of the 4 patches together. I was aiming for a quilt that a man would like as I am out of those. Blue stripe binding. I tried to keep the quilting masculine and not floral scrolly.

I even love the back!