More Orphaned Blocks

My local guild www.PVQA.org has the nice custom of making Thank You blocks for all the chief board members each year.  Many years ago when I was the Programs chairman I asked for Orphan blocks as my Thank You blocks.  I rec'd over 100 blocks!  Orphan blocks give you a certain freedom to experiment. Solving setting and composition problems can be fun and instructive. Here are a couple of quilts from that collection where the blocks were close enough in style but all slightly different in size.  (It is square it's just hanging funny)

In this group of blocks (all donated by one person, thus the continuity in color) I put the largest block in the center, the smallest blocks on the sides and the matching blocks on the corners. Then I cut the sashing in between to make up for the various odd sizes.

This quilt is similar to the first in that the odd sized block goes in the center but the sashing on the central block makes up for the difference in the block's size.
The other nice thing about making quilts from Orphan blocks is that since I have not invested any time in making the blocks I feel more freedom to experiment with the quilting;  another way to build skills.

 Orphan block quilts make good charitable quilts too, they feel a little easier to give away since the time investment is less.  I donated the first quilt to the Japanese Tsunami quilts project but the second one I kept.  I just love that singing bird!  cheers, CW.