As my quilt block of the month adventure continues, I’ve definitely found that I have some fabrics that just don’t work for me. I don’t really know if the color choices were just wrong to begin with or if the quilter is lacking in vision. But I do know that I’ve made some blocks that definitely didn’t make me smile.
And so, I learn another quilting term: the orphan block. Those quilt blocks that “are left over or abandoned” for some reason. Though, in my case, these blocks were more like “almost tossed out of the car on a lonely road” blocks!
Then I came upon a blogger proposing the “Great Summer Orphan Block Challenge!” Hey, apparently I am not alone here! And so, since those blocks were already “learning experiences,” I decided to let them stretch me further with two more techniques I wanted to learn: faux chenille and a piped pillow.
I cut one block into 4 squares for coasters, and left the other whole for a pillow. For the chenille, I layered black, olive green, and purple flannel under the quilt blocks to blend the colors and tone down the acid yellow; then stitched and slashed in what I thought might be interesting patterns. I left the center pinwheel on the pillow intact. For my pillow border, piping, and backing I got some more fabric that matched my quilt blocks (whew, they still had it in stock!).
Now, my once orphaned blocks are waiting for the rest of the family to become a quilt and join them on the couch! And more on the faux chenille later, I can see a lot of wasted time playing with that …
Thank you Hummingbird Highway for the fun challenge!
