This month I'm participating in A to Z Challenge, where 100's of bloggers around the world challenge themselves to write every day for the month of April, working their way through the alphabet. I'm sewing a patchwork block for each letter of the alphabet. Each day I will share that block and a little about the block and direct you to where you can find a tutorial for that block on the Web.
This block identified on Quilter's Cache here as being a traditional block however I haven't been able to find it anywhere else on the internet.
I have found quite a number of other blocks with Michigan in their title which are all very different to this one.
Michigan is a variation of a string block. I love string blocks. They are so colourful and such a great way of using up scraps of fabric, long skinny ones that are too thin to be used in my regular piecing.
This one was paper pieced and so all the strings are the same width. In the past I have made them with various width string pieces. In my stash using system I class a string as any piece of fabric narrower than 1.5" and longer than... well probably 3" but usually 8".
My most recent string block quilt is one I called Stringen Em Along which was from a Bonnie Hunter pattern called String X. Instead of a paper block on which it was paper pieced I used a rectangle of fabric, some thin cotton from a worn out sheet. After I had sewn the strips on, the rectangles were cut to shape and then the side triangles sewn on to make the string part of it go diagonally.
I have made it for our Japanese Grand daughter (the daughter of our host son Sho - the nearest thing I have to a grandchild). We are taking it with us to give to her when we see her in July.
This photo comes with a bonus picture of our dog Jack.
Like Michigan, each "block" consisted of 4 units (all the same) put together with great effect.
Michigan would make a very dramatic quilt too.
I really like how pretty it is when you put all the string blocks together. I bet that takes a lot of time.
ReplyDeleteThankyou. This block was so dramatic when put together - even more so than some of the other string blocks I have made. I think having the strips all the same width might have had something to do with it.. and black centres. Black ALWAYS increases the impact I find
DeleteI'm amazed and the amount of work in these. Love the one you've done for your grand child. Enjoying your posts and looking forward to the next.
ReplyDeletethey do take time but I get a lot of pleasure out of them and I love using up the scraps. It gives its own particular brankd of pleasure - recycling - using up bits that would otherwise get thrown out!
DeleteHmm. I half expected Michigan's patterns to be in the shape of mittens! LOL
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
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Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
That would have been appropriate! The reason blocks are given particular names is sometimes very obvious and sometimes so obscure they leave you scratchng your head and saying "Really?" Whatever the name I love the block. Thanks for stopping by
DeleteMy daughter's office mate at grad school is from Michigan. Am sending her a link to your post for M :)I just know she'll love it!
ReplyDeleteKatyTrailCreations
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