I Spy Quilt Parade

I found some beaut quilts over at Sew in Peace.  Sandra ran an I Spy swap, and then posted a parade of quilts made from the swapped squares.  These two caught my eye.

The swapped squares were 5 inches.  This quilter wanted a larger square, so added plain sashing

which made the square larger and emphasised the colour.  Quite clever! 

The more I look at this one the better I like it.  The sash colour helps to define the rainbow stripes,

but because it's only on two sides the charm square isn't boxed in.

Instead of sashing the I Spy blocks with plain sashing, here the plain and prints are reversed.  It's effective, isn't it.  There are plenty more quilts on parade in the blog, lots of new ideas to try.

Flowers in a 9 Patch

I'm part way through a new I Spy setting but it's not quite finished.  So I though I would take the chance to share my latest finish.

This is Miss Emma's birthday quilt.  The top is made from two years worth of swap blocks in my group Primary Patchworkers.  The flower blocks were made in 2009.  Each group member supplied a box of fabric which went from member to member once a month.  Each person used the supplied fabrics to make a block in her chosen style.  Mine is the pieced flower bottom left hand corner.
The nine patch blocks were made in the 2011 birthday blocks.  I supplied pink, yellow and white fabric (leftovers from my flowers) and asked members to add some from their own stash to make nine patch blocks.  I actually asked for nine inch block when I needed eight inch ones, so I trimmed them all resulting in a large square surrounded by smaller squares.
I quilted in the ditch along the diagonals and then - drum roll please - I did a free motion outline in each flower block.

The backing fabric is a very pretty pink gingham with white embroidered daises scattered around. 

 Miss Emma likes pink.

I'll finished with a gratuitous picture of a Singer treadle machine, my mother's day present.

I like sewing machines.

I Spy a Charming Quilt

Some of the nicest I Spy quilts are the simple ones.  A charm square quilt is made from many, many squares and no two squares are the same.  Collecting the charms takes time and swapping with other quilters can speed the collection process.

http://obsessivelystitching.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-spy-quilt-for-jellybean.html

One of the blogs I follow is Obsessively Stitching.  I enjoy the quilts and other projects pictured, many of which are Quite Small.  Her latest quilt shown above is a great I Spy.  No sashing, no filler fabrics, just dozens and dozens of bright I Spy squares.   This blogger runs charm square swaps for I Spy fabrics too, very handy if you want to increase your collection for your charm square quilt.