Hive 3 - May Tutorial I Spy Block

Happy May everyone. I am so happy it is starting to warm up here in Maine. The grass is green and the daffodils and magnolias have bloomed.

I have been collecting fabrics for an I-Spy quilt for a few years now and I have almost enough to do a pieced quilt and backing.  This quilt will be for a 4 and 7  year old boy and girl. The girl loves flowers and unicorns and the boy loves trucks and dinosaurs but, all fabrics are welcome with the exception of religious fabrics. Have fun with fabric selection. The kids will enjoy searching for interesting items in this interactive quilt.

Here is a small fabric pull.

You will be making a 12-1/2" block using fussy cut pieces.  All blocks are welcome. If you want to insert blanks in a grid layout, background, or a border, please use a white fabric. I will be adding sashing later. To insure randomness and scrappiness, no layout is specified. Below are a few options but selecting one of these blocks is not required.

• Grids
• 6x6 2-1/2" Blocks, 
• 4x4 3-1/2" Blocks
• 3x3 4-1/2" Blocks
• 2x2 6-1/2" Blocks
• Any combination of squares that add up to 12-1/2"
• Scrappy
• Sew different sized and fussy cut pieces of fabrics together randomly and trim to 12-1/2". During 2025, my goal is to tame the scrap pile and make many scrap quilts for donation to a local women and family shelter. It is amazing how many quilts a basket of scraps will make, It seems to be a never-ending task to use up scraps.
• Traditional Blocks-Any block with a larger center square or one that showcases fussy cut fabrics. Here is one but the options are unlimited
• Economy Block
• Try this paper pieced (This finishes smaller than 12-1/2" so you will have to make multiple and and/or add a border.) or this pieced pattern for a 12-1/2" unfinished block:
• Fussy Cut 6-1/2" Center Block
• Cut two squares of coordinating color 5-3/4". Cut each in half diagonally
• Cut two squares or another coordinating color 7-1/2". Cut each in half diagonally
• Sew the 5-3/4" Triangles to the four sides of the 6-1/2" fussy cut square
• Sew the 7-1/2" triangles to the outside of the previously pieced square
• Trim to 12-1/2"

Here is a cheat sheet for economy blocks

I have not started making this quilt yet. It is a yet another idea to be finished after 2025 WIPs are completed.

Thank you all!-Paula