birthdayblock

Treadle On 2008 Birthday Block

History and Instructions

I suppose this is a pointless caution, but I always give it. READ THE DIRECTIONS ALL THE WAY THROUGH BEFORE CUTTING OR SEWING ANYTHING! At each step, imagine yourself doing it, so that by the time you finish reading, you will have a real understanding of the block and will have done the project in your mind. I know this goes against faith, hope, truth and the American way of life, but it can save you a lot of trouble. You will have some options and jumping in before you understand them nay cause you to lose them!

Background

2008 marks the 10th anniversary of Treadle On. To commemorate this event, we will have a specific 2008 Birthday Block. This block will be the exchange block at the 2008 Birthday Bash TOGA in Seattle (April 30 - May 3). It's use as an exchange block at other TOGA's throughout 2008 is highly encouraged, so that as many folks as possible will have the opportunity to collect these blocks. Additionally, we will try to schedule a TOBE block exchange also using the Birthday Block, to further maximize everyone's opportunity to collect the blocks and end up with a Treadle On 10th Anniversary Quilt.

The block chosen as the Birthday Block is one that I came up with a long time ago, to use as a mystery quilt. It's a very simple three element block that can be made quickly by using strip quilting techniques. It also lends itself well to being made oversize and then trimmed down with a template, for those, like myself, who tend to work fast, but perhaps not precisely... The block is called "The Captain's Courtyard". Here is are pictures of the original two quilts i made as part of that project:

Development of the 2008 Birthday Block

This pattern worked well as a mystery quilt for beginners, since the block was very simple. However, a slight modification was needed to use the block as an exchange block. This involved making the horizontal element lighter, so that writing would show up on it. This would permit the making of a commemorative exchange quilt on which all of the writing would be oriented in the same direction, permitting the quilt to be "read" like a book. Here is the first block I came up with:

Note: Three elements... one horizontal and two vertical. The horizontal to be plain, either non-print fabric or a print that is very faint color-on-color so that it "disappears". This will be where the block is signed. The two vertical blocks are to be flowered fabrics.

This was the first block, which was made with what I had on hand. As things developed, it was decided that the top is too light... the quilt rather wimped out, and that the contrast between the two vertical elements should be more distinct.

Having reached this point, a small test quilt was called for, so I made enough blocks to put one togeteher:

Here are the first blocks, assembled into the beginning of a top. In this picture, the yellows are actually a bit more intense than they actually are. Compared to the floral patterns, they looked pretty wimpy.

Here is the same assembly with borders added.. not bad, but not as good as it could be. Note that the yellows are still rather bland and also that while some effort was devoted to putting the lighter florals to the right and the darker to the left, more contrast is needed to make that effective.

The original concept of this block was that the top or horizontal element should bring to mind a path in a garden. Hence, I decided to try to make the top piece of the block more brick-like, but not too dark, or we wouldn't be able to write on it well. I bought a variety of darker yellow to orange colors, cut pieces and set them on the quilt to see what they'd look like:

Here is the top with bolder colors just laid on top of part of the light yellows. We quickly decided that the real strong ones were too much, but that the very light oranges to rose ones were great.

Based on everyone's reactions to the picture above, here is the color range that we decided on for the top element of the block:

We have a light yellow, but a bit darker than what I had originally, to a kind of rosy peach, to a light yellow-orange to a soft rose. Any of these colors might resemble old bricks of one type or another, such as might have been gathered together to make a garden pathway. Obviously, with many people going out and selecting fabrics, there is going to be some variation, but when selecting for the top element, try to stay in this color range.

Now, at this point, Istill was not happy with my example block, as shown at the top. It lacks the contrast or definition that makes the first two example quilts from the mystery quilt project come alive. So, I made a some new example blocks... very quickly and very roughly, but, I think the picture below will show some improvement from what has gone before:

Note that the contrasts in the horizontals (the "bricks") are softer, but still stand out better than in the original all yellow assembly. not also that there is more contrast between the right and left vertical elements and that the darker verticals have been placed to the left. The our eyes normally tend to read or move left to right and it seems more natural for the bolder units to be picked up first.

At this point, I am, finally, satisfied with the basic design. I had actually prepared instructions earlier, as I made the first sample quilt for this project (not the mystery quilts above... those I liked from the start, but they didn't need writing blocks in them). I am going to go ahead and post the instructions as i wrote them, but don't be surprised at occassional references to the picture immediately above. Also, bear in mind that the original 1999 Summer Mystery Quilt are still posted in The Quilt Shop ( Link to 1999 Summer Mystery Quilt ) mystery quilt instructions. If you are like me, it's generally helpful to read several versions of instructions. Anyway, here we go with the instructions...

Instructions for the 2008 Treadle On Birthday Block

Please bear in mind that almost all of the step by step "How To Do It" pictures used here were taken as i made the early sample or test quilt. They are offered here with comments to help you make your blocks. Remember that the color choices were refined as we went and I will keep reminding you of that.

Fabrics

For your horizontal elements, you will want a plain fabric in the color range shown below. These will most likely be best if solids, but real faint prints that are almost not noticable except on close inspection might work, too. Colors, as below, can rang from light yellow to soft rose. Think weathered old bricks. Here's a repeat of the pic above:

The yellow above is actually a very faint print.. so faint it "disappear"s and isn't "read" when you look at it. Other color names that have been suggested as good are salmon, terra cota... almost anything that is in this range, but not too intense. You don't want something that leaps out and vibtrates.

For the two vertical elements we decided on floral fabrics... different ones for the two sides, with the darker to the left. A lot of folks want to use their state flowers, and that's fine if you can find fabric in that. Many did. If not, or if you prefer, use prints of your favorite flower, the flowers you had at your wedding, your prom corsage, whatever.

The usual instructions for fabric prep apply... wash so it is pre-shrunk before you sew it.

Block Assembly Instructions

Important Notice

I want to pause at this point and let you know that you have an option in making these blocks in bulk. You can, if you are accustomed to precision piecing, follow the directions as I give them from this point, using the precise dimensions that are provided. However, if you really want to get into fast bulk production, I would suggest that you make the blocks oversize and then trim them to standard. The block is based on pieces 2 1/2" x 4 1/2"... One piece across the top and two pieces vertical under it. This produces a completed block of 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" for exchanges. I recommend making them oversize. Nominally, cutting 2 3/4" x 4 3/4" would do it, but that is an awkward measurement to keep track of on cutting rulers. I worked to 3" x 5" and found that while it wastes a bit of fabric, it was easy to measure and went very fast. So, I was cutting 3" strips rather than 2 1/2" strips, and, when combining florals, cutting the combined strips to 5" rather than 4 1/2". This will cause you to end up with assembled blocks that are 5" x 6", and they can be kind of rough, not perfect edges, etc. Then, you use your cutting ruler or a template (more on that later) to trim them to a really perfect 4 1/2" X 6 1/2".

1. Cut your solid fabrics into 2 1/2" strips and set aside. #" strips if you are working oversize.

Some of you will have bought only two florals, a dark and a light. You've got it easy at this step. Others will have bought a variety of prints in fat quarters or will be raiding your stashes. Whichever, cut your florals into 21/2" strips and lay them all out from dark to light.Before cutting, study your fabrics and be sure you understand the orientation of the print. Some florals have an up and down, others don't. This quilt will, so at the various steps, be sure you aren't going to end up with a finished block that has the print under the horizontal piece oriented so the flowers are not growing downwards!

As far as arranging the strips, I found a nice trick when I first did this. If you take a digital picture of them and study it in the camera, any fabric that is "off" or out of order will leap out at you and you can then cull it or rearrange the order.

Here my original print strips have been laid out. Note the middle two. I didn't realize that the yellowy one belonged to the right of the the blue and yellow till I looked at this picture.

Okay, I've reordered those two. Probably should have reordered #6, #7 and #8 here to switch the yellow/green #6 with the purple/yellow #8. The plain yellows at the right are the vertical piece materials.

2. Pair the florals into light and dark pairs. Here again, if you are making the blocks in bulk for an exchange and are using only two florals, you have it easy.

Here I have paired the strips shown above into light/dark pairings, rather than intensity order. Please note that i was working from available stash, in a hurry. If buying new fabric i would have chosen more complementary pairings.

3. Important Step! So far, unless you cut the fabric in the wrong direction, you haven't done anything that can leave you fouled up. However, at this point it's easy to do. Study that fabric for orientation. Remember, you want flowers pointing up if that's what the print meant to do, and you will want the dark prints to the left of the light ones. Lay your pairings out with the dark to the left and the light to the right. Here are some pix of my pairings on the original test quilt:


Again... as mentioned above, if I were buying fabric, I'd have stronger contrast in the pairings. However, this was a "grab the stash and get it done" project just for demonstration.

4. Next, lay the light strip over the dark strip and sew them together with the usual 1/4" seam ON THE RIGHT EDGE! If you sew on the left at this point you will end up witn an upside down block.

Here I've done as described above and am ready to sew this pair of strips together.

5. Once you have all of your strips sewn together, iron the seam toward the darker side, then cut them into pieces 4 1/2" long... 5" long if you are working ovrsize...

Another option point...

if you like to work with smaller pieces, you can, at this point, also cut your solid fabrics to either 4 1/2" or 5", and then proceed to sew individual blocks, either to exact measurment or oversize. if you like to work really fast, you can strip piece at this stage, sewing one after another of the floral pieces to the solid strips and then cutting them apart.

Here you are looking at multiples of the pieces cut from the joined floral strips, plus precut pieces for the horizontals. This is what you'll have if you want to assemble the blocks individually rather than strip quilting.

Position solid horizontal piece above the joined vertical pieces...	Flip that piece over and down and sew it at the upper edge. Again, make sure you maintain the orientation of the pieces, or you will end up with the dark fabric on the right instead of on the left, or with your flowers growing upside down.
Here is a finished block. Press the seam into the upper piece. This goes agains the normal "press to the darkside" advice, but it will make assembly easier when you get to later stages of putting a quilt together because you won't have a seam ironed over onto itself.

Chain or Strip Piecing

I mentioned above that you can speed things up by chain piecing the horizontal and vertical pieces together. This is a picture from the 1999 Mystery Quilt instructions, showing that being done. In this example, the dark green is the solid, or horizontal element, and the the two piece floral squares are the joined floral strips. Note that this "quilt" was actually a small runner for the top of a treadle, so these pieces are much smaller. However, you can see how I simply laid the floral pieces on the solid strip, sewed, laid on another one, sewed, etc. This can be accomplished very rapidly. Once you hit the end of a strip, you just take sciccors and separate all the pieces. Obviously, this process works best if you are planning on trimming to size anyway.

6. OPTIONAL - Here are some pix of trimming to size if you opt to work oversize...

OK.. .this is an oversize block. Don't worry about the colors.. I assembled it from scraps left on the table just so I could do this example.	Here is a clear plastic template I made up just for this block. It is a perfect 4 1/2" x 6 1/2", with the lines drawn just where they need to be to trim the oversize blocks. This means that the horizontal line is drawn (scored, actually) 2 1/4" from the top. The missing 1/2" went into the seam. Similarly, the vertical line is drawn 2 1/4" in from either edge.
If you want, you can emphasize the lines with a marker.	Here the template is positioned on the oversize block... simply put the" tee" of the template over the tee of the block. Easy as pie.
With the magic of a template and a roller cutter, we have a perfect block.	You can do this trimming with a regular marked quilting ruler, but I find the template much faster and less liable to positiioning error. If there is enough interest, I can buy bulk plastic and spend a day making these... not sure what they'd cost with mailing, but if you're planning to do exchanges with the block this summer, it could be real time saver. I'll ask on the list to see if there is enough interest, so watch there. If there isn't, it's easy enough to make your own.

Okay... whichever way you opted for, you should now be able to make lots of Birthday Blocks, for TOGA exchanges or for a TOBE exchange if one gets organized.

Signing the Birthday Block

The whole purpose of having the light horizontal piece at the top of the block is to have a place to sign it. It's not the biggest signing area we've ever had. There's going to be quite a bit of variation in how much folks will put in, but here's is how I plan to do mine, at least at this point. All I could find to sign with was a Sharpie... not a real quilt pen, so it bled a little, but it'll give you the idea. If you feel like you've been a member for a long time, put your years in. If you don't feel like it, don't. Not need to mark the blocks for TO's birthday... each quilt maker can do that on the quilt label when/if they assemble the blocks.

Captain Dick

Link to Instructions for Assembling Birthday Blocks Into the Captain Dick's Courtyard Quilt