Voices of the Past Blocks Part 3

Here are the last of the blocks, of course with one missing (it still has yet to be completed).

Mary Todd Lincoln (VOP-110)

Mary's 9 Patch

Priscilla Alden (VOP-111)

I finally completed this block on Monday, July 13, 2015. It was quite an accomplishment. I had never done the machine applique like this before.  I am very pleased how this turned out.

Christa McAuliffe (VOP-112)

This one has 3 blocks. 

Once all the blocks are completed, the next step will be to arrange them into a quilt top. I'm sure adding some sashing will be the best way to keep each block distinguished from the next. I'm not sure what kind of challenge I am in for because the blocks in this series range from 6 1/2" to 15" blocks.

This pattern series and designing it into a quilt top is a challenge for me. This is the first time that I am working on a project that I do not know what the final outcome is supposed to look like.

Voices of the Past Blocks Part 2

I have completed all the blocks for this pattern series except one. To look best it has to be done by hand applique. I'm not experienced enough in machine applique to complete it and have it look nice.  Just a technique I nee to wok on.

Harriet Tubman Block (VOP-106) She has 2 blocks

Frances Cleveland Block (VOP-107)

This my friends is also known as The Character Builder (per my husband)

I was in the sew, press, rip, sew, press, rip cycle for awhile.

Lucille Ball (VOP-108)

Lucy's Basket Block

Amelia Earhart (VOP-109) There were 2 blocks

Almost done...see Part 3 for the rest of the blocks

Voices of the Past Blocks Part 1

In the pattern series of Voices of the Past that I am working on, there are twelve different patterns for twelve different women throughout history. Working on these blocks and reading the history that is provided for each of these women has been quite a pleasurable experience.  Not only did I learn of history I also learned more about quilting. Each block either taught me a new technique, helped me to improve something I already knew how to do or was just an overall character builder. Below are the blocks I have completed so far. I have labeled what each block was named and the product number in case you were interested you can go to Kaye England's website and look them up.

Martha Washington's Star (VOP-101) - I did 2 blocks

Helen Taft Medallion (VOP-102) 

Besty Ross Star (VOP-103)

Carry Nation Block (VOP-104)

Dolley Madison Star (VOP-105)

See Part 2 for more blocks :)

Voices of the Past

Some time ago...well actually several years ago I was part of a block of the month club.  The series used for the block of the month was Kaye England's Voices of the Past. So I collected all the patterns in the series. And they moved across the United States twice...yes, not once but twice! We moved from GA to WA and then from WA down to TN. Now that we are settled here in TN I have decided that it is time to work on AND complete the several blocks of the month series I have plus complete the many many UFOs sitting there waiting for my undivided attention.

I decided my first project would be to complete the Voices of the Past series. WOW! WOW! WOW! is all I can say.  This series is made up a collection of women's lives.  The pattern comes with a brief yet very interesting history of each of the women. Some of them have their own quotes printed in the history and then others have quotes printed by someone else about that woman.

Most of the block patterns are fairly simple. And then there are others that are a bit more challenging. There is one (which I will post later) that has been named the "character building block".  Yes, my character matured a bit with that block! The instructions come two ways ~ one is a specialty ruler piecing method and the other is the traditional piecing method. Most of the patterns in the series only have one block, but there are a few that have two. Each pattern has instructions to be completed as a quilt for that individual block or two.  I decided that I was going to make each of the individual blocks and then put them together into a quilt.