Layer cake project.

Recently when I was going through my sewing closet, cupboard, and drawers looking for a hand project, I came across two layer cakes.   I don't remember buying layer cakes, so I am thinking that the two that I have were either gifted to me or won at a retreat.  

This one was Strawberries and Lemonade.  I don't see myself using this one as I have made a whole quilt from this line of fabric already.

Then there is this one.

The name tag is missing, so I don't know what the line is, but I love the fresh colors in this one. 

If you have an idea of what line this is, I would greatly appreciate knowing since at this point, I may want to find something that would look good as a border.  

(Someone from Facebook gave me the name.  It is an April Cornell fabric line called Maypole) 

Anyways, some time back I had pulled this one out and not knowing what to do, I paired up fabrics and was going to make half square triangles out of the whole thing.  I did one set and it just didn't sing to me. It got put away for who knows how many years. 

Well, upon coming across them again, I did some research on line looking for patterns with layer cakes and have decided on the disappearing hourglass found on Missouri Star Quilt's site.  To add to this layer cake, I bought another one that is all white.  

Since I have already used two of the 10" squares, I will be short two blocks in this quilt, but I will work that out in the end.  

I am going to show you the process I took to come up with my block.

Take one colored one and one white one.

Lay them right sides together and stitch 1/4" all the way around.  

Cut diagonally.  

 Press to the colored side, trim the dog tails,and lay them out in an hourglass fashion.

Stitch these four blocks together.

Measure your block and then divide by 3.  

Cut yourself a 9-patch using that measurement.  My measurement is 4 1/4".  

Turn your center block one turn.

Take your four corner blocks and make sure the little points are pointing to the outside corners.  (It's interesting how each turn of a section makes a new  block that could make a whole different quilt!)  

The center block from each "outside" row is turned so that the HST is making a star point on the center block.

Sew your rows together.

You now have your Disappearing Hourglass block.  It makes a lovely star with a tiny hourglass in the outside corner.  

This is what four look like together.

I made these four blocks in preparation for taking the rest of the layer cake to a day-long sew-in at the local quilt shop with my quilting gal pals.  

FAST FORWARD.....

Spent the day at the local quilt shop for my sew-in (6 hours).

How time flew!

I thought I would come out with a whole quilt top.  I guess I am delusional.  

I did come away with several blocks sewn together, but all fabrics were touched and taken to one stage of block construction or another.  So I can see this becoming a top very soon. 

All left over fabric pairs are sewn together.

Some were already cut on the diagonal

Some are  made into the hourglass blocks and ready for dissection.  

Here are the completed blocks at this point.  

So I guess there was a lot completed, just not a whole quilt yet.

Border/binding fabrics are  ordered and backing fabric is still being decided on; but I am very anxious to see this one come to fruition.  

Stay tuned for the finished quilt.