It's a Black Hole Out There

Black Hole quilt block

Today's featured block looks like it should have a fun name. It's a pinwheel and is an easy block to construct, made with only squares and flying geese patches.

So, why would this quilt block have the name Black Hole? That sounds ominous, but there you have it. Still, a black hole is a pretty thing out there is space.

So let's talk about space ...

Black hole in space

• "Space is to place as eternity is to time."
  ~ Joseph Joubert


• "Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion."
  ~ Democritus


• "Of all things visible, the highest is the heaven of the fixed stars."
  ~ Nicolaus Copernicus


• "I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space."
  ~ Stephen Hawking

and finally, I found these ...

10 Amazing Facts About Black Holes


_{'Black Hole' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
'Black Hole in Space' image courtesy all-free-download.com}


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Springtime --- where are you?

Winter, go away ...

Well, I can certainly say, that while looking out my window today, springtime can't come soon enough. Oh, I know -- my view is spectacular, but I've had enough of winter.

So, here is a bright and cheery start to a new quilting project -- the Springtime quilt block.

Springtime quilt block

This nine patch block will give you some excellent practice sewing your quarter inch seam allowance as there are quite a few pieces. Now, having said that, there is nothing difficult in making this block. Squares, rectangles, half square triangles and flying geese units -- all basic quilt patches -- are all that are used.

I stuck with the obvious colours, derived from the block name, but you can change up those colours for a an original and totally different look.

And speaking of springtime ...

• "The beautiful spring came; and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also."
  ~ Harriet Ann Jacobs


• "It's easy to understand why the most beautiful poems about England in the spring were written by poets living in Italy at the time."
  ~ Philip Dunne


• "The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month."
  ~ Henry Van Dyke


• "No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."
  ~ Hal Borland


• "Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' "
  ~ Robin Williams

<sub>"Springtime' quilt block image and "Winter" image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com

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Blackford's Beauty

Blackford's Beauty quilt block

I was trying to find out the what or who was the inspiration for the quilt block Blackford's Beauty and so far, I have not found it. So, I'm throwing this out there for anyone to give me the details. Any helpers?

Blackford's Beauty is one of those interesting blocks (at least to me) as it creates secondary patterns when you place it in your quilt in different ways. I just love secondary patterns. You get a surprise when you start playing around with placement of your blocks. This sample quilt illustration shows you what I mean.

This nine patch quilt block has lots of parts, but none of them are difficult. Squares, rectangles and a few flying geese units are all the parts.

And speaking of beauty ...

Blackford's Beauty quilt

• "People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within."
  ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross


• "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
  ~ Helen Keller


• "Beauty is simply reality seen with the eyes of love."
  ~ Rabindranath Tagore
  
  and then there is the conceit of some people ...


• "I am a thing of beauty."
  ~ Frank Sinatra

Jawhawks or Jayhawks?

Kansas University Jayhawk

I found this quilt block called Jawhawks -- a simple one to construct -- but the name was one I had never heard before. In fact, I can't seem to even find a definition of the word "Jawhawk". All searches point to "Jayhawk". So, if anyone has any information to further this conundrum, please let me know.

My personal opinion is that Jawhawk became Jayhawk because it was easier to say. Maybe those quilters in Kansas can enlighten me. YourDictionary says that the origin of the word jayhawk is "the name of a fictional bird, half bluejay and half sparrowhawk, mascot of the University of Kansas." And here is his picture. He's kinda cute!

Jawhawks quilt block

Now back to the quilt block. This simple nine patch is a good starting place for a beginner quilter. The corners are made using half square triangles, the second most commonly used patch in quilt making, and there are also a few flying geese units to add a little pizzazz. Now, since this is not a common block (at least under this name), you are in the driver's seat to create a unique quilt to impress your friends!

Download the free quilt block pattern.

It's for the birds

• "I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright."
  ~ Stephen King


• "Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."
  ~ Dale Carnegie


• "A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."
  ~ Chinese Proverb
  
  but let's not forget about Kansas


• "When I write, I aim in my mind not toward New York but toward a vague spot a little to the east of Kansas."
  ~ John Updike

<sub>'Jawhawks' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
'Jayhawk' image courtesy printablecolouringpages.co.uk

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Who doesn't love a day at the beach?

Brighton Beach quilt block

Brighton Beach will get you thinking of summer days and fun in the sand -- at least I will be thinking about this. (Winter can just take a hike, if that was possible.)

This quilt block is a five patch, and an easy one at that, so is a great choice for beginner quilters. The added surprise -- (if you choose to set the blocks side by side in your quilt) -- is that a secondary pattern emerges -- pinwheels. And coincidentally, pinwheels are just the thing to entrance the kids while enjoying a day at the beach. A win-win situation.

So now it is time to dream of beaches and sunshine

Brighton Beach and pier

• "If there is a heaven for me, I'm sure it has a beach attached to it."
  ~ Jimmy Buffett


• "I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought."
  ~ Helen Keller


• "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea."
  ~ Isak Dinesen

<sub>'Brighton Beach' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
'Brighton Beach and pier image courtesy James Barker freedigitalphotos.net

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Starry, starry night ....

Once again, I took some liberties with the construction of this latest block -- all in the plan to make it easier to construct. My theory is, why have more seams when you don't need to?

Star of Luxor quilt block

The Star of Luxor is another block you can construct in a larger size -- a 16" block -- which means, in the end you make fewer blocks and your quilt can go together a little faster.

My version is constructed as an uneven nine patch, featuring half square triangles and flying geese units. The centre star features a square in a square patch, so there is some variety in your patches for this block. And finally, since this block is about stars, I went the easy route in choosing colours to match a night sky.

What others have to say about stars

• "Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet."
  ~ Jeremy Bentham


• "For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."
  ~ Vincent van Gogh


• "A man gazing on the stars is proverbially at the mercy of the puddles in the road."
  ~ Alexander Smith


• "No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit."
  ~ Helen Keller


• "If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years, how man would marvel and stare."
  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

<sub>'Star of Luxor' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com

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Are you up for a challenge?

Today I am thinking about those quilters who would like a bit more of a challenge. The Divided Cross quilt block could be the one you are looking for. Now, having said this, actually there is nothing at all difficult in the making of this block, except that there are lots of pieces to sew. But, why not cut your sewing down by making it a 16" block?  (Bigger block, less blocks for a quilt).

_{Divided Cross quilt block}

By now, you are familiar with the most commonly used quilt patch (after the square) -- the half square triangle. The next step is using the quarter square triangle -- another frequent patch used in quilt blocks. From there, it is only taking care to use an accurate quarter inch seam allowance and your block will go together without a hitch.

Download the free quilt block pattern.

Now, as an aside, I'm looking outside my window, and I see the beginning of a snowfall, (which is quite common in my area), so I need some "feel good" quotes for the day. (No snow lover here, which begs the question "Why do I live where I do?") <Sigh>

Today's Inspirational Quotes

• "If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely."
  ~ Roald Dahl


• "With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come."
  ~ William Shakespeare


• "Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us."
  ~ Earl Nightingale


• "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
  ~ Winston Churchill


• "A smile is a curve that sets everything straight."
  ~ Phyllis Diller

<sub>'Divided Cross' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com

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Tonganoxie

Tonganoxie quilt block

How could I come up with a catchier name for a blog post than Tonganoxie? And ... as it happens there is a quilt block by this name.

Upon further research, I discovered that it is named for a city in Kansas (I think it is obvious now, that geography is not my forté or I would have known this already.)

This seven patch quilt block is an easy one to construct because it contains only squares and rectangles, hence easier sewing. To make the construction even simpler (in my opinion), I have laid out the construction process as an uneven nine patch because I prefer to work with "chunks" rather than sewing in rows. Additionally, this block can be made as a 14" block so that the process of making your quilt is speeded up. A win-win situation.

And speaking of Kansas, did you know ... ?

• Kansas is known as the Sunflower state.


• There are 27 Walnut Creeks in the state of Kansas.


• The "prairie chicken" has its largest population in all of North American in Kansas. You might know a prairie chicken as a wild grouse.


• The Pizza Hut restaurant chain opened its first store in Wichita.


• Fire Station No. 4 in Lawrence, originally a stone barn constructed in 1858, was a station site on the Underground Railroad.


• Wyatt Earp, "Wild Bill" Hickok and "Bat" Masterson were three of the legendary lawmen who ruled frontier towns like Abilene, Dodge City, Ellsworth, Hays, and Wichita.


• The state name comes from the Kansas Indian word kansa or kanza which means "south wind".


• A museum in Piqua, Kansas is dedicated to silent film comedian, Buster Keaton, who was a native son.

<sub>'Tonganoxie' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com

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