Hive 7 - March Tutorial - Orphans Collaboration

Happy March Hive 7!

I love participating in Stash Bee for all the inspiration and modern quilting connections. For ten months out of the year, thanks to all your tutorials, I learn new techniques and play with color. And each year, I request something that has personal meaning.

For the last two years, I've been pondering a question and a realization.

Do the many pieces that fill my sewing space have value? We probably all have a bunch of blocks or bits that were experiments or created during technique workshops. I also have a pile of remnants from finished projects. I am reluctant to simply toss them (bad environmentally), but continuing to store them doesn't feel constructive either. I want to find new ways to use these.

I love to collaborate. Whenever I collaborate, the final product is always better than what I would have created on my own. Fortunately there are many ways to collaborate. Karen Bolan and Ellyn Zinsmeister wrote a series of blog posts that explore many different ideas and even designed a Build Your Own Collaboration guide. Here’s the link to the first blog post in the series. Stash Bee provides a way for me to continue to collaborate. 

I’ve been involved in two collaborations using orphan blocks and bits.

In September 2022, three of us gathered to create a harmonious whole with orphans and bits from our collections. This is the finished top. It's a mix of experimental pieces and blocks. You might even recognize which workshops we attended. We looked for ways to create paths with color. I especially liked the whimsical cat amongst all the birds. We weren’t concerned about size of blocks and bits matching as one person is expert at partial seams. 

While volunteering at a local craft thrift store, my job was to sort the many donated quilt blocks and projects. After assembling projects into coordinated groups, there were more than 50 individual blocks remaining. These were all mostly traditional blocks from the 1970s through 1990s. There was a vast array of fabrics (prints, just a few solids, even some muslin) and construction types/qualities (machine and hand, matching and wonky seams). Since single blocks often don't sell, I wanted to create a top for the shop.

The multitude of blocks was really overwhelming. A friend helped determine a design starting point by arranging all the blocks with the darkest value running diagonally. To bring some calmness to the busy center, I used about 80 4.5" squares and more than 100 2.5” squares to create rows on the top and bottom, focusing on alternating the values in the squares as much as possible.  

I’d love for Hive 7 to help me create another collaborative orphan block quilt. I’ve pulled (just a few) of my orphan blocks as a starting point. 

Here are some general guidelines. Please mail me any blocks or bits that:

• you are willing to contribute
• are all cotton
• tip more to modern style fabrics (solids, low volumes, etc.)
• are any value or combination of values from light to dark
• are any size (from tiny to 16")
• are any shape (squares, rectangles, etc.) 

If you don't have any orphan blocks or odd bits, you can generate some half square triangles (HST) or half square rectangles (HSR) or strip sets or patch or crumb units using what you have on hand. These do not need to be squared up or trimmed. We found that black and white units (HST or patches) are very helpful in creating a cohesive composition, so if generating new units, you could focus on those colors. I enjoy all the discoveries when sewing with odd scraps. Here are some I recently generated.

If in doubt about what to send, you can message me through IG. But, really, the fun of the challenge is working with a variety of random items. Trust your instinct and sense of play.

Once I have bits from everyone, I'll send a zoom link for an optional design wall play session.

Sometimes the stories or histories of your pieces will inspire a design. Please message, email or include a note that tells me the stories associated with your contribution. 

Have fun releasing some orphans or bits from your collection. 

Cathleen

aka Kitch Kouture