Good morning everyone. I know you have a pile of blocs somewhere needing to be made into a quilt. Here is my first in a series on how to assemble a quilt from previously made blocks. I hope this leads to one less UFO in your closet.
I really hope you do one on where color are not a theme. . I am trying to finish my mom's quilts before she passes away and she has so many orphaned blocks unifying odd colors I just can't get my brain around. Love your Vedio . .thank you for all your sharing of your expertise.
A few years ago I was making a Mystery Quilt with a group and we moved before I got instruction on how to put it together. Maybe now I can actually assemble it!
@@deah916 have you ever seen the Quilting Marine and his charity quilts? The blocks fit together because of the sashing. Really great to watch the result.
Hi Karen, many years ago (15 years) I was making over 70-80 quilts to family and friends. It cost me a fortune as I had each one professionally quilted with 100% wool batting. I then donated all my scraps to our local “primary school “ big and small. “5yrs to 12yrs student age” Lots of bags of fabric and no thanks. 🥲It broke my heart and put my sewing machine on the shelf. Wouldn’t you know it 14 years later my sewing desperation kicked in a few months ago. As my Bernina needed to get a service and I couldn’t wait so I started to sew scrap 10” blocks by hand. I’ve done 18 and they look fabulous. Still waiting to get the children to drop off my machine to be serviced. It’s to be a wedding present for my granddaughter. She “ Annabel” loves the fabric and design. 💞🥰
I love your new haircut! Also, you are my favorite video quilter. You never say “um” & your videos move along. I hope & pray that your son is doing well. I am a cancer survivor. It is no fun but there is light at the end of that tunnel!
Karen you are a treasure to quilters. Newbies are blessed to watch & learn, particularly. Love new hair cut, earings, & leaving off the scarf. You have lost years somewhere, don't look for it. Your cheerful attitude is a win-win. I'm always up lifted seeing you. I've been sewing quilts since 1975, having learned to use my nana's featherweight. At 75 i sew 4 - 8 hrs., daily. Also knit & rug hook. No time to be bored! Thank you fou being you. Prayers & keep calm and quilt on.
Karen, my fiancée and I are long distance at approx 20,000 km apart. What originated as my eager declarations of "Karen has posted!" has now turned into watching together and robust discussion of concepts and skills - it brings us both such joy. I'm currently creating our wedding quilt, improv piecing each wedding ring block and finally using those carefully collected and curated fabrics - because of your advice. Stay well :)
I have been turning orphan blocks and leftover fabric, into gift bags when I gift a quilt. This cuts down on my scrap bin. Love all your videos. I always get something out of them. Thank you
I can't thank you enough for your videos! You've been the greatest teacher! I was told I couldn't join the local Quilter's guild because they had too many members so you're my go to for ideas and help!
Wished you had posted a month ago. Working on one of these quilts right now. You would have saved me loads of time. I bought a bag of blocks from my guild's boutique from our quilt show. Thought these blocks were the same size, WRONG! Luckily I measured them before putting them together. I planned it out on graph paper which did not quite work out. I am doing it your improv way. Love that you have different settings. Thanks as I have many more orphan blocks to combine.
I'd like to peek into your brain and watch it at work. I wonder what you do in your 'real' job. This was one great video - showing how and why one chooses the design process at work. It turned out amazing! Thank you very much!
First time I watched this, I thought, no way, I would just donate those crazy blocks to someone. But recently re-watched and realized how many lovely orphan blocks I have...hmmm...maybe this could help erase all that guilt?
Love the way you plan what to put together. I take scraps and make crumb fabrics from these I then cut my quilt blocks. Usually my blocks are simple but I can say that there are no two blocks alike in any of my scrap quilts.
I love how you help us work on REAL quilting areas that truly need addressing in my opinion! I like to fly by my scrappy seat of my pants type quilts and this is where I can get help doing that. Thank you again for addressing the topics you do - you do it so well. Much appreciation!
Good Morning Karen and thanks so much for all the ideas. I have been sewing like crazy and the scraps & orphan blocks are starting to take over my sewing room. After watching this I'm going straight to the orphan block drawer to see what I can make work. Love you and your videos !
Wow, that actually came out super cool, it really looked like you did that on purpose. I bet if you did try to do that on purpose, you wouldn't be able to.
I am so appreciative that you continue to post new content during the pandemic. I am trying my very first quilt thanks to your videos. You are clear, concise, and your graphics are illuminating. Thank you!
You and Darlene MIchaud are two of my favorite RU-vid quilters and although you have totally different methods and styles, you both use the word Wonky like it's an official technical term, which I love. If there was a Quilter's Dictionary of Slang, I'm sure Wonky would be in it.
I have a box of blocks which belonged to my grandmother before she got sick and died and I want to use them to make a quilt with first and there may be enough to make two or three quilts out of these blocks. They was made from several different cotton materials and that is what I am going to make my quilts from and hope to get it done properly and make quilts which can be used on my beds. I always thank you for your tips on quilting topics and will be using some of them when I begin putting my first quilt together, keeping you in mind.
Just sewed up all my after quilt blocks up but did it scrappy. Before You’re video came out Still have more to make So now I can use some of your tips next time around. .
I'm looking forward to seeing your suggestions for orphan blocks of varying colors, size, etc. I've got leftover blocks from my daughter's quilt, the grandkids' quilts, and my own projects. None of the blocks appear to have anything in common. Maybe I need to think about more than one project from them? 😀 Thanks for your interesting tutorials.
Zerelda Hammer I had that problem too but eventually I used a few up by making fabric bowls (for Microwaved food for when it comes out too hot to hold); a pincushion and some I actually unpicked so I could reuse the fabric. So now I only have a few.
@@janinenankervis3290 I didn't think about turning them into bowl potholders. Good idea! I'm working on a crumb quilt right now, and I've disassembled a few for that. :)
Karen, do you have a video where you talk about the improv style letters you sewed for this quilt? Thank you for your videos; I've learned a lot from them and enjoy watching them.
I have a lot of blocks, but am not sure I can make them go together....appliqué, pieced, embroidered. I need to gather them from the corners of my studio, lay them out on the floor, and see what I can come up with. Thanks for your ideas and tips.
It’s beautiful! When you first started out I didn’t think there was any way to make it work. It looked like a messy pile of blue pieces with no connection to each other. So I watched, very skeptically as you brought it all together. And I love what you made out of all those ugly, to me, blocks. You are truly gifted!
I'm not quite sure I'm there yet. Though I do use my scrap quilts for practice quilting (test tension etc.) But I have a whole tote filled with scraps I need to work myself to actually make something for me out of it as a reminder where I started and where I'm at now.
Love how you showed a way to use the wall panel to arrange the blocks....waiting for more videos....am working on ...ugly fabric quilt...hope to be done soon....
Ah, Karen, once again you are helping us create lemonade!!! Most of us are hiding our orphan blocks somewhere in our stash and unable to part with them. What a relationship! Sniff sniff, together but apart, together but alone. Bringing them together creates a treasure! I remember your color video where you talk about us buying the same color all the time because we like it. This would be a great way to weed out some of the "sameness" in our stash to add to blocks in order to pull them together. I am sooooo looking forward to the rest of your series!
i am starting to get a few orphan blocks.....and I loooove your ideas!!!! I like more scrappy style quilts so this was awesome.....gave me some great ideas too.....so thanks again for a great video!!!!! take care. stay safe
Love this series and looking forward to the next one. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and the inspiration to work with orphan blocks. Several of your suggestions have also inspired me for some quilt backs I have been struggling with. :)
It came out very well! I was doubtful when you started. I have so many orphan blocks because I just love to make and try out blocks. Thanks for your hints.
My grandmother gives me her orphans. I have a bin full - hundreds! I've made a couple of quilts with them. I look forward to trying another with your techniques.
Someone else that gets my love of scrappy quilts! I sew and cut, sew and cut, add more color here, sew and cut! I have a tote of scraps that...after making all these masks...I will dive back into and make blocks that will eventually become quilts. Thank you for showing us that everything does not have to match. I love your channel! Rochelle
As a newbie, I find every single one of your videos imperative to my learning process. You have none of the fluff of other channels and great advice instead. Concise and to the point. I think that you are amazingly talented and have so much knowledge and feel very lucky that you share this with us. I have an amazing sewing 🧵 teacher who is patient, kind and has a great foundation for me to build on. Your “bricks” make a house. Thank you so much for ALL of your hard work as it is much appreciated and please keep making videos as you’re a natural!!!!
Oh thank you thank you! I keep moving my orphan blocks around my sewing room with no inspiration! I’m sooo glad you are starting this series!! Cute hair and earrings!! 😁
I'm just getting ready to do my first improv quilt. This video has provided some inspiration. I may not have many orphan blocks, but I have some fabrics that will play well together. Wish me luck, and a keen eye!
You are such an inspiration Karen! I can't thank you enough for your videos... They are my 'go to' when I need help! Thanks again and God bless you more!
Do you have a video that explains how you lay quilts out on the wall? Not the artistic process, the mechanical. I can't figure out how those blocks are sticking to the backing. I'm beginning to think you're magic!
I use almost every inch of my fabric, so I make a lot of 1 inch pieces. To get straight sewing, I use very thin fusible . Say in a 9 patch, you iron all nine pieced down onto the fusible then you sew them in columns. After all columns sewn clip the back side to sewn the horizontal pieces. You now can make the quilt with every inch of your scraps.
You are reading my mind, found a box of flour sack fabric and 11 star blocks made by my husband’s great aunt during COVID cleaning. I’ve started making more blocks multiple sizes I was going to put them together with a modern look inspired by your work. Now I’m even more confident this plan will work. Great video, hope you have a great week.
This information was amazing! Also good after quilt ideas. I love seeing you work and how you tackle a problem. But I am mighty stunned to see a blue, black, and grey project! I was so confident I would never see this color scheme from you. 🧵 I really did love seeing this come together! I’m surprised and delighted.
Looove this! As a super new quilter this gives me ideas about just trying stuff out rather than trying to make a full quilt because the experiments will never be wasted!
Since I started using your ironing technique, sewing straight lines technique, perfecting my quarter inch seam, and being more careful cutting, the last three quilting projects I made are the best I’ve done in the five years I’ve quilting! 🏆 I even made your “Ugly Quilt” and it came out “BEAUTIFUL”! 😊 Thank you’re your videos!!!
