While traveling around blogland....

it's amazing what you find. Today, while at Marcie's Patchalot More, I found what Marcie does with UGLY exchange blocks....LOL Way to go Marcie!
In Marcie's own words:The photo here on the left is of my son and a quilt I made him a couple years ago. It is from Open A Can of Worms, by Debbie Caffrey. That might be my all time favorite book. I have made more quilts out of that book than any other. They are good basic scrap quilts. Great directions, etc.

The reason it came to mind is all the talk about orphan blocks made me think of the back of the quilt. I got a number of uglier than sin blocks in an exchange, and rather than make them into a quilt I used them on the back of the quilt. After I sewed them together with alternating plain squares I started to like them. Fabric is funny that way. You can't look at it too closely, you just have to look at what it does. Well, it was too late for those blocks to become anything but a quilt back. I was anxious to get the quilt done so I did not alter my plan. However, since that time I have had the urge to make those blocks again into a real quilt of its own. Some day maybe I will even do it!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

and what better time than in July?? Getting some of those orphan blocks gathered up and into a useable form. This will look just wonderful when Marcie( http://patchalotmore.blogspot.com/ ) gets it out in November or December. I just love that particular Santa from an old Country Threads pattern. He was part of the Winter quilt, featured in what I believe was their first book. A Quilt Shop Series called "Country Threads". Corn is falling from his bag, and chickens are following the trail of corn. The corn being yellow buttons. Really a neat quilt!
I love the border Marcie used. Simple but such a big impact.
Marcie seems to be having alot of fun playing with all these older blocks...*VBS* And that makes ME happy, I love seeing what people can do with what they have, without picking up a book and following someones directions. It's how America was build, you know....figuring it out as you go.
I have another really wonderful quilt for you tomorrow from Lynn Dysktra. I didn't even know she was playing along with us until I visited her blog yesterday and saw her gorgeous blue and white quilt. That will be arriving at the station for boarding tomorrow's train. Listen for that lonesome whistle.....

More delightful Orphan blocks quilts today....

And these two were made by Marcie at http://patchalotmore.blogspot.com/ , for her oldest Granddaughter Becky. The first one was made second, I believe, and will be going off to college with Becky this fall. As you can see the different orphans are of many sizes and genre. In the second one, the blocks are all 5" blocks. Becky wanted this particular one to hang in a certain spot. She and Gram Marcie worked on these together, making them even more special to both of them...*VBS*

I recognize some of the blocks as being from Country Threads over the years. And others I'm quite sure are Little Quilts patterns. Those two companies are also favorites of mine.
Marcie always has something fun cooking on the front burner, so do stop by and see what she is up to these days. She's a former Minnesota gal transplanted in Virginia. Being in WI I consider her 'ours', you folks just get to enjoy her also.
And if any of you have the Country Threads
book "Use It Up, Wear it out, make it do, or do without", both Connie and Mary each made an Orphan blocks quilt from the leftovers from creating their patterns. Obviously they MUST test an idea or a block before deciding to publish it...both quilts are just wonderful!!! Large(90" X 90") and quite different from each other, considering both gals made a block for herself in pattern testing. They had too many for one quilt, LOL. Book was published in 1996. It has lots and lots of great scrap quilt ideas and I recomment it if you like country, or working with scraps.