double 4 patch

It's a quilt top...................... from Exuberant Color

The last 3 seams were sewn yesterday and it's a finished quilt top, including the staystitching around the perimeter. It is 64" x 72". I really didn't think I was going to like it very much, but after it is sewn, yes, I do like it. This is a bonus quilt, one not planned to be made. It used 2.5" and 4.5" strips cut around 2009 and 26 sixteen patch blocks from the batik orphan block box. That's a win!

Now I need to get back to cutting half rectangle triangles and get another quilt ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 1 month, 2 weeks ago. under batik , double 4 patch

Sewing long rows............... from Exuberant Color

These are the 2 new blocks I made yesterday, actually 2 of each of them. I didn't take a photo of the final layout.

I had 3 sewing sessions and this photo is after the rows were webbed in one direction.

This shows a portion of the top after some seams the other direction were sewn. There are three more long seams to sew.

Finally a couple of my cactus plants are setting buds for a new blooming season. I love this white with pink edging. I have another like this that has one bud on it too. Also ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 1 month, 2 weeks ago. under batik , double 4 patch , nature

Some changes................ from Exuberant Color

I decided to shorten the length by one row and took out the blues and brighter greens. That made it an even number of blocks across but not lengthwise....so I changed the layout to a zig zag. Now the length is only 8" longer than the width, an awkward rectangular shape, but since this is a bonus quilt and will be gifted, it's going to stay this way. I still need to make 3 more 16 patch blocks to finish the layout.

I first searched my box of 2.5" batik strips and was surprised there were hardly ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 1 month, 2 weeks ago. under batik , double 4 patch

First finish for February 2026............. from Exuberant Color

Purple Rosy is finished and I am so happy with the binding and backing as well as the top. It is 65" x 82" and has Hobbs 80/20 batting. It was quilted by Robin Diaz.

All of the fabrics are from the Kaffe Fassett Collective, the trio of designers.

The photo above was taken with my Canon camera and this photo was taken with my cellphone. I think this one is truer color, but something halfway between is probably the closest true color.

This backing fabric has a lavender background.

I cut batting for these two quilts, the next ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 1 month, 3 weeks ago. under batik , double 4 patch , kaffe fabric , one color quilt

Binding finished................. from Exuberant Color

The binding was finished last night, too late to take it's final photo.

I still can't believe there were so many purples in the Kaffe collective fabrics. Seeing all of the fabrics on my shelves, stored by number, there didn't seem to be that many. I sometimes think I should store them by color, but so many of the collective fabrics are multicolor without one clear color standing out.

I love the fabric on the back and I was lucky enough to find it on sale. It is also from the Kaffe collective group.

While in the ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 1 month, 3 weeks ago. under batik , double 4 patch , kaffe fabric , one color quilt

Monday night sewing................. from Exuberant Color

I had two sessions of hand stitching last night. I'm approaching the 4th corner now and part of the next side (a short side) is already stitched. One more night should do it. I'm done with PT until the last Friday of the month so I will have more time at home in the studio for a while.

This is what I worked on between those 2 sessions, 16 more double 4 patch blocks.

There are two blocks alike of each of these, 4 in each combination of fabrics.

And two of each of each block in these ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 1 month, 3 weeks ago. under batik , binding , double 4 patch , kaffe fabric

Decision made...................... from Exuberant Color

Either one of the fabrics I pulled to audition for the binding choice on Purple Rosy would have worked but I ended up choosing the diagonal stripe. This is the original fabric, not the archive reprint. I only got about 24" hand stitched last night.

I sewed 2 more combinations of fabrics into Double 4 patches. There are 2 of each of these, so 8 blocks were sewn.

We got up to 37 degrees yesterday, the first time above freezing in almost 3 weeks. Now we have 2 colder days over the weekend and then 30s and 40s next week.

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 1 month, 3 weeks ago. under batik , binding , double 4 patch , kaffe fabric

Machine fixed, cutting and sewing............... from Exuberant Color

These are the blocks I was trying to sew when my machine had no tension. When I worked at the sewing machine store, the boss showed all of the employees how to take the top off of our Pfaff machines so we could find errant threads. I did that 2 nights ago and couldn't find any thread but cleaned out some lint. I did some flossing of the tension discs with a folded strip of fabric and kept testing the sewing but nothing was working.

Yesterday morning I opened the top of the machine again and finally the thread ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 1 month, 3 weeks ago. under batik , double 4 patch

Sewing was interrupted.................. from Exuberant Color

Someone is going to the far side of a neighboring state to see my great-grandchildren. That means baking treats for them. The chocolate chip cookies are delicious.

I also made shortbread and peanut butter cookies. I had to test them too. I need to know I'm sending them good treats. That's my story..............

I did get started cutting the 4.5" squares for the double 4 patch blocks.

We have had 18 days in a row below 32 degrees, the average temperature for this date. Thursday may get up to 32, but Friday is slated for high 30s ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 1 month, 4 weeks ago. under 4 patch , batik , double 4 patch , food

Mindless sewing.....again................... from Exuberant Color

Yesterday was a PT day so I have to be watching the clock.

One thing I did get done during the day was to layer several stratas, staggered by 1" and cut 2.5" segments from them. I had sewn the 2 strips together and did the pressing last week.

Last night's mindless sewing was making the 80 four patches which will be used in 40 double 4 patch blocks. I need to cut the 4.5" squares now from the 4.5" strips.

Part of the reason I didn't get much done yesterday was because of this ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months ago. under 4 patch , batik , double 4 patch , nature , strip piecing

Finished..........(second post today).......... from Exuberant Color

The binding was cut and sewn on by 4 p.m. today so I had time to go down and photograph it.

This quilt is made of floral fabrics that are mostly from the 1990s, with a few newer ones added in for variety. They are 6" squares and really show off the beauty of the florals.

This is the binding fabric, black, brown and green. I picked it because it went best with the back. I had other choices that I liked with the front but not the back.

The back is one of my favorite floral fabrics and ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months ago. under batik , binding , double 4 patch

Sewn, not pressed.......................... from Exuberant Color

The top half of the quilt is folded up so I would have room to design the bottom half. The blocks on the bottom aren't sewn in this photo. I changed one because I had a light block where a dark block was supposed to go.

I finished sewing the top at 10 last night and even though the last seams haven't been pressed, I wanted to check it out and make sure I didn't have any blocks turned wrong. Now seeing the photo I can see I have one dark block where a light one should ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months ago. under batiks , double 4 patch , nature

On the design wall.................. from Exuberant Color

I finally got to the design wall with half of the blocks and created the layout of the top half of the quilt. I have enough blocks to do a 7 x 10 layout which will yield a top 56" x 80". That is pretty close to the 60" x 80" that I like. I started sewing this together last night and will design the bottom half today. It isn't quite as bright as the photo shows.

The first Amaryllis flower has opened and it is white with red edging on the petals. I should have a second flower ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months ago. under batik , double 4 patch , nature

Blocks are ready.......... from Exuberant Color

I really thought I was going to have blocks up on the design wall yesterday. I pressed the final batch, sorted them into 2 piles with one light block and one dark block of each combination in it. Then I took other projects off the design wall to make enough space to design the top half of the quilt. That was it, no more ambition to get anything done. I'm going to blame the cold weather for it. We got up to 17 degrees yesterday, a couple degrees higher than they predicted. We have had sunshine for 2 days ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months ago. under batiks , double 4 patch , stash

Onto the last blocks............... from Exuberant Color

I pressed all of the sewn strips and all 52 of the previously made blocks. Then it was time last night to sew 18 more blocks. The bottom 2 were cut from 2 fat eighths so there are only 2 of them, not 4 like the rest.

I cut the last 2 sets of strips. I changed the green from what I showed yesterday. The purple one is the one I called the wild card yesterday. I was able to cut the wide strip along the darkest edge of the fabric and the narrow strip has all of the colors ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months ago. under batik , double 4 patch

Slowly, getting there............ from Exuberant Color

Strips were cut, seams were sewn, but I stopped at the point where I have to turn on the iron. I counted blocks and need to choose one more pair to achieve 63 blocks for a throw size quilt, 56" x 72".

This purple is kind of a wild card. It has purple, green, red, and orange. The green fabric above it is a possible pairing for it. I can make blocks from these 2 and if I don't like them, I'll just choose 2 more fabrics.

The Amaryllis that I received the third week of November has ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months, 1 week ago. under batik , double 4 patch , knitting , nature

16 more................ from Exuberant Color

16 more blocks are ready to join the first 36. There are some strange greens in this batch so I hope they will play well with the others. I didn't get the new fabric I pulled cut into strips yet. I did get it pressed so I should get the cutting done today.

These 4 blocks are low contrast so I hope they will work in the quilt. If not, they will become a table mat.

We're back below zero again this morning and won't get up to 20 until Saturday. We only got a little over ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months, 1 week ago. under batik , double 4 patch

Sewing more strips................ from Exuberant Color

After I sewed all of the purple/green strips, I moved onto the brown/gold orange/yellow group. I have all but 2 sewn together.

Yesterday morning I played with an alternate layout, random rather than all 4 matched squares together.

Here are the 2 layouts side by side, the one on the left, the original layout of all 4 alike together as a group, and on the right, a random layout of the same blocks. Why would I choose one over the other? It is a matter of what size quilt I want to make. The group of 4 ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months, 1 week ago. under batik , double 4 patch

More blocks........................ from Exuberant Color

Yesterday morning I cut the 4.5" squares for all 6 combinations and last night I sewed the 24 blocks.

It was -7 when I checked yesterday morning and we never got above 0 all day. I had to go out to PT and with the sun shining it didn't feel as cold as I expected.

Today is starting out in the minus degrees too but we will get above 0 today.

I went through the new pile of strips I found in the basement and there were 3 more greens and purples. This will make 12 more blocks ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months, 1 week ago. under batik , double 4 patch

Continuing on............... from Exuberant Color

The 4 patches for 24 more blocks are sewn and just waiting for me to cut the 4.5" squares to go with them.

I was pretty sure there was another box in the basement with more pairs of the 2.5" and 4.5" strips. I knew where it was (yes, really!!) so I retrieved them and counted 36, which will make 72 blocks. So far I have only sewn the purple/green combinations. If I sew all of these plus the ones left from the first group I showed a few days ago, I will have 138 eight ...

added by Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson 2 months, 1 week ago. under batik , double 4 patch , star quilts , strip piecing

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