This week I was struck by a blog post by Alison from “Little Island Quilting“. She constructed a quilt top from donated blocks from quilters from all over the world. The quilt will be donated to a charity for street children in Mexico City. Read more about it here and here.
Alison is asking our help! You know you have orphan blocks tucked away in a dark corner of your stash, don’t you?
Dig them out, quilt them up and send them off!
Alison requests 12,5 inch square blocks already quilted so she can make QAYG quilts out of them. So I dug into my “orphan blocks box” and found two that were “ready to leave the country”.
(European quilters; if you have whole quilts to donate ( yay!) there is a mailing address in the Netherlands we can send them to! The blocks are going the Guernsey in the Channel Islands, UK. )
You may remember this old picture of one of my first attempt with paper piecing. That was almost exactly 1 year ago! (Kind of weird to think that within just one year I went from testing my new skill to designing my own patterns. I am so enjoying myself!!!)
I appliqued a flower on top of the wonky seams in the middle of the flower-star. YAY for applique! (I cut the centre of the block away for a flat block)
This next block was a test block for one of my own star designs. For whatever reason I did not show you all this picture. The fabrics are all old men’s shirts. I quilted this second block really simply. The fabrics are so soft and silky!
I have shown you mine…. now you show me yours (blocks that is)!!!
LOL!
Esther
(p.s. I am linking up with “Anything Goes” at Stitch by Stitch”)
ipatchandquilt 
I made one and sent it (all the way to the Netherlands, despite being a stone’s throw from Mexico!) a week or two ago–just a triangle log cabin QAYG block. Yours are much prettier!
Hello Renee!!!
Great job! Blocks flying across the world, LOL! The postal workers must be wondering what’s up.
I am kind of late with this passing on this request, as the drive already started right after New Year. But better late then never, right?
Hugs,
Esther
Esther:
Wow .. am very impressed to see you apply your quilting skills .. you added another dimension to the star pattern quilt.. it now pops just like a flower that has just opened up. Lost comment on the train quilts. Let some little ones play with the individual ones .. see what they want to do with them .. probably arrange them somehow.
Annie
Hallo Annie!
First of all: HUGS!!!
Second: thank you again for your wonderful and uplifting comment! I will ask little mister T and little mister M for help! 🙂
Esther
Esther, your blocks are always amazing! Those red stripes are just mesmerizing!
🙂 Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation
Goodmorning Kelly!
“Now you will feel sleepy….” The blocks indeed looks like it came from a hypnotist’s show!
Look at this video called “Anemic Cinema” made by the artist Marcel Duchamp. It is a dadaistic video from circa 1926.
Very calming, but just make sure that you don’t go and walk around like a chicken, OKAY?
haha! i’ll check it out! and by the way, I’m so glad you shared at Needle and Thread Thursday!
🙂 Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation
Love that star and the flower (along with the stitching) bring it all to life!!!! Your quilting is so beautiful….inspiring!!!!! Hugs…………
Thank you so much Doreen!
I hope the child who receives the quilt with this block, will love it as much as I do too!
Hugs
Esther
I am so sure he/she will!!!!!!
Your quilting looks amazing! Love the detail if brings to the star. Fun looking back and seeing how we grow, right. Your patterns are always beautiful.
Thanks a lot!
You have put a smile on my face!
Bye bye
Esther
WOW! Fantastic embellishments. You really made something amazing here!
Goodmorning Susan!
It is fabulous to dive into the orphan block box and see what you an make out of them! I will sure do this again!
Have a wonderful Monday!!!
Esther
Those blocks are beautiful Ester! I especially like the second one. Those colors inspire me to go dig in my stash.
Not sure I have any orphan blocks that big but if I do, I will get them sent off.
Hello Cynthia,
I have seen block made from several smaller blocks too ! It really does not matter what the blocks look like, just that they are a bit colourful and cheerful, I think! All of the blocks together will make for a very scrappy quilt!
Love this idea!
Have a wonderful week!
Esther
Love the applique flower and your quilting is gorgeous.
Thank you very much Ruth! How nice of you to pay my blog a visit! I love to meet new people!
I hope you will have a wonderful weekend!
Esther
Absolutly magnificent blocks,Esther.Love them,it will take time to get at that level for me
Hello Ann!
Thank you for leaving such a sweet comment. I will be visiting the store soon, I hope! I need some more fabric, ha ha!!! Hope to see you there.
Hugs
Esther
The quilting you’ve done on the first block and the appliqué you’ve added to it made an incredible difference. Very, very beautiful!
Thank you so much France!
I had a lot of fun completing this block. I am glad to see that even first-time experiments can be turned into something beautiful and useful!
Have a wonderful Friday!
Esther
good golly, those are amazing!!! the quilting really takes the first block to a whole new level. love the swirly, get-lost-in-the-dizzy second star block, too!
Hello Hydeeann!
“Get-lost-in-the-dizzy”, ha ha! You know I named that block “Dizzy” ? I do not know if I named my block after I made this version in the red stripey fabric, but I must have! Thank you for leaving such a sweet comment!
Esther
Oh my gracious, that is amazingly beautiful! Bless your beautiful heart for this!
Thank you very much Dee!
I was a lot of fun to do!
Bye bye
Esther
Wow quilting that up really made a big difference. Lovely.
Thank you so very much, Kris! It was a lot of fun to do!
Have a wonderul week!
Esther
Oh my, adding that applique flower in the center really made the block unique! Its stunning, and the quilting awesome! Well done 😀
Thank you so very much Marelize!
It was really a wonderful thing to see the block transform into this!
Bye bye
Esther
Fabulous blocks Esther! Isn’t it nice to have evidence of your progress too 🙂
SMILE!
I love looking back at my previous blogposts because of that particular reason. Seeing what one has accomplished in a short time is very rewarding.
I adore the fact that some of my test blocks will be used in a quilt in Mexico City in the future!
Have fantastic Monday!
Esther
What a beautiful idea, and such lovely blocks! You’ve inspired me to go dig up some orphan blocks to quilt up, thank you!
Hello Jen,
Wow that is wonderful!!! I am smiling bigtime!
I hope that lots of quilters send blocks to Alison so she will have those 70 quilts done in no time at all.
Thank you for you fabulous comment,
Esther
Hi Esther,
I made that same flower/star block! I donated it to a Breast Cancer Fundraiser last summer not quilted. Your quilting on that block is stunning! I love it.
And what a great idea to gather orphan blocks for a great charity. Thanks for spreading the word.
Wow, you made one too? Isn’t it a fabulous pattern? I made three of them. By know every single one has now been put to good use: one purple pillow for friend of my parents, a red/brown pillow for one of my students and the last one is going across the world! WOW, I never expected that! LOL!
I hope your weekend was fabulous!
Esther
Wow…you are amazing! I am so impressed with how you have progressed in one year! Yikes! What inspiration! Your work is always so amazing. I also was impressed by Little Island Quilting’s post and have a stack of blocks heading her way. I figure this is a win-win…I get to clear out some of my almost-perfect blocks and she gets to make blocks for some lucky kids! Yeah!
Hello Kathy,
Yes Yes YES, that is it! 🙂 Win win!!!
I am so glad that we can help Alison out with the blocks. I might have some more, but I have to do some digging and assembling before those are ready for the trip to the UK.
I adore the fact the you call your blocks “almost perfect”! JUST PERFECT!
You are wonderful too!
Esther
Beautiful blocks! i love what you did with the applique. Gorgeous stitching. Your quilting really brings your work alive.
Thank you so very much Joanne!
Esther
You sure know how to bring ashes to beauty, though none of the blocks were ashes! The paper-pieced star block is gorgeous! Love how you appliquéd a flower in the center. The stitching is gorgeous! All the blocks are great for the charity quilt! So thoughtful!
Goodevening Joanie!
I am thankful that I can help others with quilting.
One of the first things that struck me when I began reading blogs is the willingness to help each other. It is a real sharing community. When I started my blog I pledged that I would partake in charity quilting too whenever I could.
HAPPY TO HELP!
Esther
Those are beautiful! I love star designs and the stripes make it so neat!
Beautiful quilting!
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