June 2023 #focuscuttingsewalong

Hello everybody!

Focussing on the Hats Off To You quilt for the Festival of Quilts meant I wasn't keeping up with the Focus Cutting Sewalong. I am starting to catch it back now, and I have finished all my June blocks, so here they are! The theme for June was Lines, which is always one of my favourite themes. I did 7 blocks in total.

Week 22 was Vertical Lines. For this shape, that meant the lines along the length of the shape. I did two blocks.

First up, this classic interpretation of the prompt.

These pink and red stripes form a clear X shape with the paler stripe down the middle.

And secondly, these blue lines.

I went extra line-y on this one, choosing this fabric with extra chevron lines, in addition to the overall stripe effect.

Week 23 was horizontal lines. These run across the width of the shape, making a square effect towards the centre of the block. Again, I made two blocks.

First up, this blue block.

This was the first fabric I pulled to use for this theme. You can see my block with this fabric from last year here (actually done on a freestyle week).

Next up, this yellow and blue stripe.

This is an Aldi fabric, and the lines are made up of rows of triangles. I think it gives the block more of a dynamic feel.

And Week 24 was diagonal lines. This meant making the lines run parallell to one of the edges next to the 90 degree angle. It gives a sort of windmill effect at the centre. I made two blocks again.

First up, this classic pale yellow stripe.

Again, this is an Aldi fabric. And I know in both the photos it looks like I haven't sewn down one of the seams, but I have double checked the block and I can assure you that I have. I just need to actually make use of an iron.

And lastly, this brighter yellow block.

This block didn't work as well as I would have liked. Because the line is wavy, and it doesn't have a high colour contrast, the effect isn't as clear as I was hoping for. It's a fabric I have owned for absolutely ages, I bought it when I was living in Spain in 2003-4. You can see it in an orphan block from that time period here.

The final week of the month, week 25, was a freestyle week with no particular theme. I made one block.

This uses an Aldi fabric that I only just bought the other day. I like to use the very free freestyle weeks for fabrics that don't really fit the definition of 'motif' but still make a definite pattern when focus cut. I am also being intentional with my colour choices as those who follow along on Instagram will know I have decided on a rainbow layout for these blocks. You can probably spot in the photo of the 7 blocks at the top of this blog that the pink one is joined on to another block. I'll start showing more of the layout on here as I catch up more of the months.  I still have one block missing from each of March, July and August, although I am on track to actually finish September on time, so hopefully you will see some more soon.

Thanks for reading!