ABC Challenge: ‘C’ Block

Cake Stand
Cake Stand

I am a sucker for basket blocks. Cake Stand is a classic. Even though I said I was going to use Around the Block Again and Once More Around the Block, I took a quick peek at Around the Block and couldn’t prevent myself from making this block. I have to admit that the templates that I mentioned in the last post about the project make me not want to use those books. They are not hard to use and it isn’t that I can’t measure the templates and cut them, but I just don’t want to be flipping back and forth. I will get over myself, because I don’t want to give real estate to books that I don’t use.

The gold color is, again, one of the Pat Bravo Pure Elements. I believe it is the Empire Yellow. It has kind of a green tinge to it. I used it, because it was next on my stack to be ironed and I want a bit of a challenge in this project. The dots are a bit light for the background, so I may try the block again with a different background, but we will see.

For the moment, I am still making one block for each letter. I may make seconds for some of the letters. I am going to kind of go with the flow and see how the project evolves.

Author: Jaye

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

4 thoughts on “ABC Challenge: ‘C’ Block”

  1. I think the template thing is a bigger problem with “Around the block again” than with “Once more around the block” — she seems to have realized by the third book that the template-free approach is what made “Around the block” more useful.

    You’ve mentioned the ABC challenge a couple of times but I don’t think you have described or linked to the rules of the challenge. Where might they be found?

    1. Good to know. I have the 3rd book as well and will look at the blocks there. I am also interested in knowing how the 501 rotary cut blocks book (which I think is a compilation of the three Around the Block books) compares in terms of directions.

      The original directions are on the BAMQG’s Ning site, which is members only. They say “How about this idea: we call it the BAMQG Alphabet Sampler Quilt-along. Every month we make 2 blocks that start with a specific letter of the alphabet. For example, for the July meeting, we will each bring 2 blocks that start with the letter “A” and perhaps explain why you chose those particular blocks. August will be “B”, etc. Bring your blocks for Show and Tell or if the meeting runs too long, we can look at all of our blocks during sewing time. These are blocks that you are making for your own sampler quilt. You can make it a scrap sampler, or a planned sampler, whatever you want to do. Judy Hopkins book has 501 blocks in alphabetic order and has instructions for each quilt block in 6 sizes, so she has done most of the work for us. You can stop anywhere along the way, or make fewer blocks (although who can resist making a block that starts with the letter “Z”). If we stick with a double alphabet approach, we will each have 52 blocks when we are finished. An odd number, I admit, but 26 isn’t enough, so that’s the best I came up with. I’m thinking 10 inch blocks for my sampler. ”

      Some people are making 2 12″ blocks each month, which is too large and too many for me.

      I am using the following directions:
      1. Pure Elements solids + one print (may change later)
      2. one block per letter, though I make make a second if I find some that I really like.
      3. 6″ blocks
      4. pick a block whose name corresponds to each letter of the alphabet (e.g. Air Castle for “A” and Cake Stand for “C”.

  2. so it would be cool to make quilts for people that spell out their names or other things. but only quilters would be able to read it. and I’d have to be careful because some blocks have multiple names.

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