Good Foundations

In umpty years of quilting, I've never tried a foundation pieced quilt before, and now, voila - I have.  Wowser - addictive, and accurate.  Foundation piecing - where have you been all  my life.  (FP says nothing, which really, when all is considered, is for the best.)

The name of this block is "Square in a Square".  It's also known as "Economy,"
although I have no idea as to the back story for that.  It's not the most frugal use of fabric I've ever encountered.  Maybe because when all is said and done, it's a basically a 9-Patch block. 

 You sew the fabrics directly to the foundation paper.  The placement numbers tell you which fabrics go on first.  Start in the center and work out - pretty logical, you have to say it.
When you have sewed all 9 fabric units into place, here's what you've got.

 And then it's time to start peeling off the foundation paper.  This can be fun.  Look, Mommy!  I made shapes!  See!

 And when the paper is removed, there you have it.  A completed and very accurate quilt block.  And I should add that this is the wrong side.  The pretty side is the up side.  The interesting side is the down side.  See?  Of course you do.

 Lots and lots of them!  I'm thinking 80 of these six-inch babies will make a pleasant little quilt.  40 with a light-dark-light combination, and 40 with a dark-light-dark configuration. 

This is the self-proclaimed 'easiest' of the blocks in the book I used. I foundation pieced with Alex Anderson.  She says a child could sew this block.  Me personally?  Whatever...but I do not wish to meet this child.  Of course, 'child' is a relative term.  Does she mean an actual child? A third grader, perhaps?  Or a younger adolescent?  I can see a careful, patient 12-year-old stitching a few of them.   If you know any careful, patient 12-year-olds, we can experiment. 

I can't say that I know any actual, Real Life children who would enjoy patiently, carefully stitching their way through enough blocks to produce even a placemat, but I know several who would love to pick the foundation paper off the back all 80 of these blocks.  (Which brings up an interesting thought: why am I not asking them to do this?  Hummm....)

So, when this little quilt fellow here grows up, when the blocks are stitched into rows, and the rows joined to form the top, and sandwiching and quilting occurs, it will be in the general neighborhood of  48 by 60 inches, plus whatever borders I've opted to use.  Overall, a lap or a nap quilt.  For me.  Because by the time I've completed it, I will be tired.