Jan BJP Finished! More on God's Eye Quilt

Here's a little peek at the center of January's piece for the Bead Journal Project. I decided to explore intersections this year, places where my life path crosses and intersects with other paths... meaningful relationships with various people, places and things.


This one is about snow and ice, the seemingly dominant path of January's weather around here, and how I react with and to it. As usual, I worked it quickly and improvisationally, without a plan except for the general idea of the crossroads. Looking at it now, I can see the beauty in the snow and ice more easily than I could when it was all around me for real.


My plan is to do each month's piece on two fabrics, a quilt block, same arrangement (but different fabrics) as January. I will join the twelve blocks together, on point as shown above, to make a small wall quilt, a visual journal of the year 2011.

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I'm leaving today for a 3-day quilting workshop taught by Karin Franzen. Please take a second to look at the gallery of her quilts (one of which is shown above). To me it's the most compelling quilting I've ever seen! I'm so grateful to be able to take a class from her!!!!!

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God's Eye Quilt

Several of you asked about how to make the God's Eye Quilt featured in my last post, here. Technically it is not at all difficult; the fun and challenges come from arranging the fabrics! You can use scraps and strips left over from other projects. A piece just 12 inches long by one inch wide can be included!

Cut the centers from any DARK fabric. I used a black batik because I like the firm, non-stretchy hand provided by batik fabric for the block center. You could use a black on black print, dark indigo, deep burgundy. It should read darker than your other fabrics. Cut 50 squares, 2.5 x 2.5 inches.

Cut fabric strips in 4 widths: 1, 1 1/8, 1 1/4, 1 3/8 inches. If you are cutting from full width (42") fabrics, cut one strip per size. If you are cutting from fat quarters, cut strips across short length and cut two per size. Important... keep strips separated by size, all the 1" strips in a bag, all the 1.25 inch strips in a different bag, etc.

Sew one strip of each size around the center square. This can be in any order. For example, you can sew the 1.25 in strip around the center square first, then the 1 3/8" strip, then the 1" strip and finally the 1 1/8" strip, or any other order. Mix them up. Make about 12 blocks using one arrangement of the strip sizes and then start another group of 12 blocks using a different arrangement. Strips are sewn courthouse steps method (not log cabin). Press the seams outward. Make 50 blocks.

Make about 2/3 of your blocks with a medium-light to light value fabric for the outside strips. Make about 1/3 of your blocks with a medium to medium-dark value fabric for the outside strips. When you arrange your blocks for the quilt top, place 5 lighter-edged blocks across for the top row. The second row will have 4 darker-edged blocks across. Alternate these two rows, ending with a row of 5 lighter edged blocks.

Cut setting triangles and corner triangles from a dark-value fabric. Sew the blocks and setting triangles together in diagonal strips. Then sew these strips together.

Have fun!!!!