Block 10- Jack in the Box

Sorry I got a little behind in posting!! Time flies as they say.  I have to say this block creeps me out a little bit! But he's starting to grow on me more and more.  This is another one with a little bit more embroidery, but still not hard at all. So enjoy Jack!

Mildred's Block

My Block

Block 10- The Jack-in-the-Box

The surprised expression on Jack’s face as he popped out of his box was mirrored on the faces of the quilt club members when they saw the pattern for the tenth block on the alphabet quilt.

They began to tell stories of the Jack’s they had had in childhood. One member recalled other toys with springs with which she had played. There was the reptile concealed in a simulated pot of jam. This snake uncoiled itself with frightened suddenness when the top of the ham pot was lifted.

This particular Jack was not difficult to appliqué since the spring and the face were expressed in stitchery. The the rest of the toy was done in appliqué.

The first step was the cutting of the square from the newspaper. **instructions for template making and embroidering the letter are repeated again here**

While Nancy was waiting for the pattern to dry she chose her other embroidery cottons. She was sure to use only fast color, washable ones. For the hair she chose yellow, for the mouth rose. And for the eyes she used brown. The same brown was used to make the spring.

Now that the pattern was dry she cut it, having the round pattern for the head, the two long pieces for arms. The box was cut all in one piece. Where the arm expended over the edge she acted as if it were not there and did not cut the indentation left by its overlapping.

In cutting all the pieces she allowed one=quarter inch on all sides for turning under. She cut the face from pale pink, fast color soft gingham. The arms were from a figured green print. The box was a pink and white material with pink dots sprinkled over its surface.

After the edges were turned under and basted down the pieces were pressed

She laid the box in place on the lead pencil outline of the white block. The box was appliquéd with fine, slanting invisible hemming stitches. Then she appliquéd the arms. The head went on last.

To get the effect of the box she used her brown fast color embroidery cotton and outlined the lines of the box as shown. It was the line on the front toward the right and the hinge line which needed to be stitched. The spiral spring was done in fine running stitch.

The eyes were outlined and the pupils worked in fine satin stitch. The mouth was done in sating stitch. The eyebrows were in running stitch. The hair was done with double strands of brown.

Click HERE to download the pattern

Block 9-The Ice Cream Cone

Mildred's Block

Such a simple block-but don't you just love it? This one is really fast. I loved that I could use this brown checkered fabric for the cone. It was perfect. Here is Nancy's story continued:

Block 9- The Ice Cream Cone

Before the club members started working the “I” block they discussed the progress of the quilt thus far. Eight blocks had been made. Since the lengthwise strips which would hold them together were cut in full strips the length of the quilt it was impossible at this stage to piece the quilt. But certain piecing could be done. The crosswise strips in white and color could be put in place. The A and E blocks were joined, so were the B and F, the C and G, and the D and H. In putting them together the strips of white and of color cut 1 ½ inches by 6 ½ inches were joined. Two white ones were separated by the one strip of color. This band of three strips now made into a wide strip 2 ½ inches was sewed between the white blocks. This made the finished strip exactly 3 inches wide since the quarter inch taken off at each side for seam allowance reduced the 3 ½ inches to 3 inches.

Nancy did not know where the “I” block was most pleasing to girl, boy or grown-up. Judging by the popularity of ice cream cones it was pleasing to all.

The club talked over the kind of ice cream they would put in the cone. The cone itself was made of yellow or buff fast color gingham. One bright member chose a yellow and white plaid. By butting it on the bias she had a cone which looked exceedingly natural.

In choosing the ice cream the group considered pink for strawberry or raspberry, yellow for French vanilla or brown for chocolate. They believed, after considering it at length that the pink or brown would afford a greater contrast to the buff or yellow cone.

Some of the members put a cherry at the peak of the cream and some did not. It was decided to embroider the cherry, in any case, rather than to appliqué it.

**instructions for tracing pattern, making the templates and embroidering the letter here**

The pattern having dried, the outlines of the ice cream and of the cone were cut out. The pieces were laid on cloth and after allowing one-quarter inch on all sides for turning under were cut. The edges were turned under and the pieces were basted and then pressed.

The ice cream was pinned in place and appliquéd with fine, slanting invisible hemming stitches. Then the cone was put in its place and appliquéd in the same fashion.

The cherry was embroidered with fast color embroidery cotton. Another black was ready for the alphabet quilt.

Click here for pattern

Have a great weekend everyone! Until next time.....

Block 8-The House

Mildred's Block

My Block

This is one of the cutest blocks! Its a bit more work, with more embroidery that the others in the windows and flowers but not difficult. I opted for appliquing the windows and doors on top of the house-white for the windows and pink for the door.  This completes the second row of the quilt! The next one is VERY simple-another one of my favorites (I think I'm saying that about them all!)

Block 8-The House         

When the quilt club members saw the pattern for the “H” block in the alphabet house they burst out laughing. “Of all things, Nancy.  We might have known you would remember that nursery rhyme: ‘There was a crooked little man and he lived in a crooked little house’ It’s a crooked one, all right.”

It may have been crooked, but it went straight to the heart of Joan. She could hardly wait until Aunt Nancy finished it.

The first thing Nancy did was to cut the pattern square from the newspaper. **repeat of instructions for tracing and making templates, and embroidering the letter H here **

She used dark brown embroidery cotton to outline the window panes and to represent the earth upon which the crooked house stood. But before she was ready to make those outlines she had other things to do. She chose a fast color print in blue and white for the house itself. The chimney was a soft terra cotta or brown. The sun was yellow and the same shade as was used in making the beak of the goose last week.

When the newspaper square was dry she cut out the outlines, separating the sum and the chimney from the house. She paid no attention to the door and windows at this time.

In cutting these pieces she allowed one-quarter inch on all sides for turning under.

After edges were turned under and basted she pressed the pieces and then pinned them in place on the white block. First the sun went on and was appliquéd with slanting, invisible hemming stitch. Then the chimney was put in place.

When it came time for the house Nancy had a number of choices. She could cut out the openings for door and windows, allowing the white of the background to show through. She could appliqué white pieces in place for door and windows or she could keep the windows white and have a door of a solid color.

Some of the club members did one thing, and some did another. It seemed as if each scheme was as effective as the other.

The window panes were indicated by running stitch in fast color embroidery cotton. The door knob was embroidered with a large French knot.

The little upstanding flowers were done in lazy daisy stitch. These were done in various colors to suit the fancy of the workers. Most of the members felt that this was the prettiest block made thus far.

Click HERE for pattern

Loosy Goosy

Here's a nice simple and easy block for the letter "G". A little embroidery to finish it off, but not much. Very sweet, don't you think? I did realize after re-reading the column,that it was intended to have appliqued legs, but I embroidered them before I realized. You could easily go either way.

Mildred's block

My block

Block 7-The Goose

Joan was fond of a story in rhyme which aunt Nancy told her. It started “An old gray goose walked forth with pride, with goslings seven at her side.” The members of the quilt club had heard Nancy tell the story so many tines that they were quite sure the G block in the alphabet quilt would be a goose. Sure enough it was, and a gray one too. The gray was particularly effective with the soft green  used to connect the blocks of white on which the figures were appliquéd, This white material was a soft gingham. The gray was a color fast gingham. The stitching for the water, eye, nostrils and wing was done in fast color embroidery cotton. The letter G was embroidered in fast color green, the same shade as had been used for the preceding letters in the earlier blocks.

** Instructions for tracing and making templates follow here **

When thoroughly dry the outline of goose was vut. The bill was separated from body. This was laid on a small piece of fast color yellow gingham allowing a quarter inch for turning under on all sides the piece was cut and edge basted under.

The body was cut from gray gingham. Here also, the allowance of one-quarter inch on all sides was made. The small piece for legs was cut from yellow.

After the edges were turned under, basted and pressed the material was pinned in place on the white block. The bill and legs were appliquéd first, using a fine white cotton. A slanting invisible hemming stitch was used. The body was stitched in place. Deep gray embroidery cotton outlined the wing, using blanket stitch.

The eye, nostril were worked in solid satin stitch in red. The letter was done in the outline or chain stitch. The water in the wavy line at the bottom was done in blue embroidery cotton, using a fine running stitch.

One member of the club took her finished block home and showed it to her young daughter. She immediately said, “Mummie, that’s the goosey, goosey gander, isn’t it?”

Another youngster looked all over the block for the golden egg that the goose was supposed to have laid.

But the mothers who were making the alphabet quilt were too intent upon the various blocks they were fashioning to think of golden eggs, Mother Goose rhymes or nursery jingles. They were impatient and hated to wait for the next block. “H” comes next,” said one of them, “what do you suppose Nancy has planned for that letter?” “I can think of hurry, horse, hound, hops and hay,” said one well read mother. But Nancy told them it was none of these.

Click HERE for the pattern