Hive #4 - March Blocks

Hi Hive #4!  I'm so excited to be queen bee this month!

First a little bit about me:

Name? Kelsey

Where do you live? Northeastern Ohio

Family Status? Just me and my husband

Hardest quilt thing you ever made (would you make it again?)  I would have to say the first quilt pattern I followed, Jellybean, and made for my mother-in-law.  I was not familiar with how important the scant 1/4" seam is and it caused me lots of problems!  I'd definitely make it again now that I've learned my lesson!

Favorite dessert food? Cannoli!

Last time you laughed really hard (and what was so funny)? We were babysitting our friends' little nugget and I could not stop laughing at how hard she was cracking up at me knocking a Tupperware off of my head!  Love those sweet baby laughs!

What is your Day Job?  I work for a wealth management advisor during the week and help out at my local quilt shop on the occasion Saturday.

When did you learn to sew? Who taught you?  My mom taught me when I was young - maybe 8?  She used to make me sew with no thread on paper with designs on it so that I'd learn to sew straight and follow lines.  Then I took a class at Joann's and made an awesome teal vest at one point.

Do you remember the first thing you ever sewed?  See awesome teal vest above :)

Life Philosophy?  When you have laundry to do, dishes to wash, bathrooms to clean and quilts to sew - always choose the quilts!


Now on to the block for this month!  I'm really excited about this!

I'm asking that everyone please make one large Cracker Scrap block.  Please use the great tutorial from Cut To Pieces with my adjustments below.

I'm asking that it be made with Bella White #9900-98 as the solid.  If you can't find any near you or are over your fabric budget for the month please let me know and I am more than happy to mail you a chunk!  Please do not substitute Kona or a different white - I promise I have no problem mailing you some :)  For the rest of the block please use scrappy red and blue (think Americana/4th of July shades).  My husband and I got married on the 4th of July so I really want a fun patriotic quilt!

The large block in the tutorial is made of two parts with white focus and two with color focus.  Please disregard that and make all four units with color focus, two red and two blue.  These are the pieces you'll need to cut:

• 4 - 6" Squares White (cut diagonally into 2 triangles)
• 4 - 2.75" x 7.25" White
• 2 - 6" Squares Red (cut diagonally into 2 triangles)
• 2 - 6" Squares Blue (cut diagonally into 2 triangles)
• 4 - 2.75" x 7.25" Red
• 4 - 2.75" x 7.25" Blue

Piece together (following the tutorial directions) two blue themed units and two red themed units. *Tip - sew your rectangles together, then add the colored triangles to the ends and then add the white triangles to the sides last*  Trim each to 10" square.  They should look like mine below.

Then piece your four units into one block with the colors opposite each other and all colored points in the middle like mine below.  The finished size will be 19.5" Square - please make one :)

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you need some white!

~Kelsey