Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Read to Me Mama Block

Today's block for Jackson's quilt is called Read to Me Mama - certainly not a new block by any means - this is one that has stood the test of time. For me it represents the stack of books that my kids would want to read before going to sleep.
This block just can't get easier - get started by cutting 1 1/2'' strips of fabric. I kept the background solid in all of the blocks and then mixed in my dots for some of the book bindings. The finished block measures 10 1/2'' square.
You can arrange your blocks how ever you like, and you can make your book bindings any size you like. I used book bindings measuring 2, 4, 6, and 8 inches in length. You will need a total of 10 book bindings per block with their corresponding background fabric. This diagram is about as technical as it gets.
Cutting Specifics - cut 10 book binding sets
For a 2'' book binding cut to 2 1/2''; cut 2 background pieces to 4 1/2''
For a 4'' book binding cut to 4 1/2''; cut 2 background pieces to 3 1/2''
For a 6'' book binding cut to 6 1/2''; cut 2 background pieces to 2 1/2''
For an 8'' book binding cut to 8 1/2''; cut 2 background pieces to 1 1/2''

Here are my fabric sets per block all ready for sewing. Take time to plan out your arrangement - be careful not to place two of the same fabrics next to each other in the block.Here's one block staged next to my sewing machine - all of my bindings are matched up with their respective background fabric.
Here are my blocks, all stitched up - I like the look of this arrangement.
And here's the finished block - woops - a different color background from the sample! I made a total of four Read to Me Mama blocks, each with a different background color and a different arrangement of book bindings.

3 comments:

Amanda Jean said...

That's a very fun block! I love the bright and cheery colors of the quilt. Nice fabric selection.

Lynn said...

What a great block for a kids quilt! The number of books in the stack looks about right too. LOL! They always want one more no matter how many you read.

Lisa Fulmer said...

Your sweet project was featured on the C&T blog - thanks for being part of the Creative Troupe!

Post a Comment