Let me just say I waited a little while to begin my Denyse Schmidt inspired blocks for the blockswap. I started yesterday around 3:00 pm and just finished. I would have waited until April 7th eve (Jess did say postmarked by April 7) but we’re leaving on Saturday for Spring Break vacation. I did not want to be the ding dong that did not finish her blocks. I also cooked dinner last night, watched American Idol with my kids, enjoyed a late evening glass of wine with my husband, went to knitting class before school this morning with Leil, and got her science project set up before the opening bell rang. Thank goodness I’m not working…

Saying I am totally inspired by this project is an understatement. Playing with the Kona cottons and just cutting away with no ruler was a blast. I’m usually the type to plan out my quilt, study the pattern, labor over the fabrics and then methodically construct it. I also rip out things mid way through because I don’t like one of my fabric choices. This experience was so liberating. I’m sorry to see my blocks go but it was a great exercise and I have lots of ideas for some quilts I’d like to make.

The Full Monty:

Page 69 of DS Quilts. My favorite thing about this block design is that little scrap of fabric pieced into the upper left hand corner.

I based the design for these two blocks on some of the full size quilts Denyse displays on her website. Not sure what I think of them.

Page 151 of DS Quilts. My first was way too structured. The 10 inch block size was hard to work with for this particular design. The book example is a 13 inch block. The extra inches would be useful for creating more variation in the width of the strips and also in being able to offset the center of the block design.

Page 117 of DS Quilts. I’m in love with these blocks. Pictures don’t do them justice. I lined up all four together, similar to how they are pieced in the book. Very cool. I developed my own method on piecing them together that did not require templates or cutting the angles prior to piecing. I’ll post my method once I’m back from Spring Break. Robin’s Egg Rocks. The perfect color. I never tired of it during creation of the blocks, I just liked it more each time I used it. Can’t say I felt the same about Mint.