Some Ideas for the Novelty Fabric You Couldn't Resist!

   I'm guilty! I bought an adorable novelty print of happy pigs on a farm. One is just cuter than the next! But what to do with it? I thought and thought, and came up with the idea of doing Hole in the Barn Door blocks using greens on the outer edges and woody print fabrics on the inside borders. I decided to do blocks of different sizes....either 6 1/2", 9 1/2", 12 1/2" or 18 1/2" so they would all go together. If I needed additional fabric filler, I was going to use a complimentary apple print, and reds and greens (including a red check to match one of the piggie's bibs!). I may put some Flying Geese blocks in, too. Here are a couple of the blocks:

    

     
   There is a simple formula for figuring out how wide to make the strips on your blocks, as well as the half-square triangles for the corners....especially if you want regular sized blocks to put into a 6 1/2" or 12 1/2" format. In a nutshell, subtract 1/2" from the fussy cut piece. Then subtract that measurement from 6, 9, 12 or 18, whichever gives you a number between 4 and 8. Divide that number by 4, and add 1/2. This will be the size of the strips for the sides of the Hole in the Barn Door block. Go back and take the number again before you added the 1/2. Double it and add 7/8. This is the size of the squares you will need for the half-square triangle corners. Let me know if you would like more specific instructions: I'd be happy to post them.

   Here are some fussy cut pieces of fabric waiting to be made into Hole in the Barn Door blocks. I do follow rules for fussy cutting...I don't want dismembered piggies if at all possible!
   Take a fresh look at some of the novelty prints that you've collected... maybe they will talk to you! Farm prints can be made into many blocks with farm animal names like Goose in the Pond or Turkey Tracks. Easy! There are many basket blogs and flower blocks, as well as blocks to showcase stars and circles. I love QuiltersCache.com for their alphabetized listing of free patterns!

   What do you think of these piggie blocks? Please comment and let me know...and tell me about your favorite novelty prints!