Blue Squares

1. Piles of squares according to value with fabric "key"

I have just started making a quilt composed of blue squares for a friend's daughter who experienced a quilt on holiday and now passionately wants one. I am always making quilts and being from a small family am somewhat short of recipients so I offered to make her one. I gave her some books and invited her to our group quilt show and she turned out to be a very good client as she knew exactly what she wanted - not what I expected her to want. Her  brief was squares, blue (and the quilt she was looking at was rather old fashioned grey blue squares but but not suitable as it had a large applique superimposed) with a plain border and cable quilting. Belatedly I realised I might have made a mistake in exposing her to some very stunning and complex New York Beauties and exquisite applique made by group members so boy was I relieved. I'm using my stash of blues long hidden and cut up rather more than needed . A purchase of 5 FQs was the starting point to give some continuity to the whole. All were mediums and I added more then two paler piles and two darker piles. I am doing 16 "blocks" each composed of twenty 3.5" (finished) squares arranged four by five and assembled 16 piles on my table arranged as the blocks in the quilt will be. I took care to distribute patterns and values evenly. Then I took a middle pile C3 and set out the squares and sewed consistently keeping the arrangement intact by repeated chain piecing so all twenty were joined together in five separate rows then joined. I'm keeping a pressing diagram as I go along. Then the next block was set out with reference to the one just completed, sewn and joined.

2 Rows chain pieced horizontally and vertically

3 Two blocks done

4 and joined together