Monday, April 25, 2011

May SCRAP Bee Blocks - Lakes and Islands


Yes, the color for this month is GREEN!    I'm thinking early summer fields and forests seen from the sky.

Step 1:  Any fabric that is, oh, mostly green will do, solid or patterned.  When you have some made-fabric ready, cut a couple of 9.5" squares.

Now we are going to put a lake into our landscape. [Note: all photos are not of the same block, I kept forgetting to take pictures.]


No pattern, just take your scissors and cut what looks like a circle to you. [Stay at least a half inch from the edges of the square.]
It's not a perfect circle, just something like a circle.  I'm calling this hole a "lake"

Step 2:

Cut a 9.5" square of the light blue "watery" fabric I sent you, and layer it, right side up, under the block with a hole in it.



See!  It's going to be a "lake".  Pin until you are confident it won't move.  And then, using neutral thread, zig-zag the shoreline down to the water.  [I set my Pfaff stitch width at 3.0 and my stitch length at 1.0].


Now flip the block over and trim 1/4 inch around the outside of the zig-zag.  Here's the back of the land block and your cut away water block.


Step 3:

Take an odd ball piece of your made fabric and cut another almost-circular shape that is big enough to cover that hole in your Water Block.  Pin the circle on top of that water, covering the hole and zig-zag that "island" onto the water.


Now you have a "Lake block" and an "Island block'.

Keep playing!
I hope you have enough water fabric to cut another 9.5" block.  Then you should have some trimmings you can use for smaller lakes.  I had to piece together some of the water fabric for one of my Lakes [see photo #4].

You can sew an "island" on the water where there isn't a hole already, and then trim the "water" out of the back afterwards.

When you have made a few lakes and islands, you will have leftover circular pieces that  you can use to make more lakes and islands. 

I am hoping that you will have enough of the water fabric to make two Island blocks with one, two, or three islands circles..  I would like it if you could also make three Lake blocks that are mostly Land fabric you have constructed.  Each block can have zero, one, two or three circles.


  I'm imagining a sky view of the "Land of Lakes" where Victoria and I both grew up.  Some how I'll jigger around with the Island blocks to make a great big lake in the middle.

Thanks to everyone!

Sara Homeyer

15 comments:

Melinda said...

I received the lake fabric today. This looks like fun - I have lots and lots of green scraps.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe said...

Land of 10,000 lakes!!!!!! Haha!!! What a great idea!! The land is looking like the ariel view of all that glorious farm land!! :-)

Helen said...

I am so excited about this idea, Sara. I, too, grew up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. This is going to be a real trip down memory lane for me!

Mary-Frances said...

Very cool idea, Sara. I'll have to check my mailbox to see if your fabric arrived. In the meantime, I'm off to find those green scraps!

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

OMG! This is sooooo fun! So that is the blue fabric that will be arriving soon. Wait! Gotta go check the mailbox!

glen: fun fun fun

Sandy Panagos said...

I received my lake fabric this past weekend. This looks interesting. Can't wait to get started on this one.

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

I received my package in today's mail. I am so excited to be working on this.

glen

Nifty Quilts said...

Looks fun. Got my fabric already.

Miki Willa said...

These are going to be really fun blocks. Can't wait to see what becomes of them.

Jessica said...

Sara, what a cool block! I got my fabric in the mail yesterday, thank you!

Magpie Sue said...

This is going to make for one very cool quilt!

Cindy said...

Looks like so much fun!! Can't wait to get started!

Barbara Arcement said...

I am working on these blocks. I think it will be an interesting quilt!

Sandy Panagos said...

I am going to make my blocks tomorrow. I've never done anything quite like this one before.......

Barbara Arcement said...

Hi Sara
I made my blocks for you yesterday and will put them in the mail today.
Please let me know if you get them. I was not able to take photos so if you can, please post photos of them. I hope I did it right. It was a very different block to attempt but lots of fun.
It will make a beautiful quilt!

hugs from south louisiana
beebee