Small Amish Quilt-Orphan Block

An Orphan Block is an affectionate name given to a block that is all alone in the world.  It might be an extra block leftover from a larger quilt.  It might be a practice block–a block made in order to learn a technique…Most quilters have a box full of orphan blocks–too pretty to throw away…I probably have two boxes full (I have been quilting longer)  If that wasn’t enough, I actually purchased the center block of this quilt!    (For the non-quilters out there–I purchased just the inner square–the green and blue pin wheel part of the quilt below.)  Sometimes I think I’m crazy, but it was at an auction and it was for a good cause…

I then challenged myself to turn that center block into a quilt…

By setting the center square “on point”  I was able to achieve a nice balance.

I used stencils for the feathered circles and the feathered corners.

The most time-consuming part was picking the colors and the layout.  I used my digital camera to test several options–this is very helpful when laying out blocks.

This one of my favorite little quilts…and I hope you enjoy it, too!  You might also like the Fall Vase Quilt and the Summer Flowers quilts.  Both are orphan block quilts.

So dig out those Little Orphan Annies and see what you can do!

Don’t forget to leave a comment on The Valentine’s Day giveaway.

I am greatly enjoying all the suggestions for new posts and will answer ALL of the questions…