Box Exchange Blocks

Last night was my quilt guild meeting and I had not worked on my two box exchange blocks at all.  I've been in a crocheting mood and not a sewing one.  So I needed to buckle down and do my quilting homework yesterday.  This was for the regular box exchange block.  First I needed to cut out 3 diamonds out of light, medium, and dark fabric with the grain going a certain way on each one.  Then I needed to mark a forth of an inch intersection on each one.  

I've been in a "red" mood because of the crayon swap that I'm involved in on ravelry.

Next I sewed the medium and dark diamonds together, starting from the 1/4" intersection mark.

Then I sewed the light fabric to the dark and medium fabrics, again starting at the 1/4" mark.  Yes, this is a block with a Y seam.  Y seams aren't actually hard to do, you just need to take your time with them.

Here is the back before it was ironed.  It was ironed clockwise (dark to medium, medium to light, light to dark).

Here is the finished tumble block.

Next I needed to work on the paper pieced box exchange block.  I was forewarned about this one.  You have to make 4 blocks and then sew them together to make the finished block.  Although it was not hard to make, it took an hour just to make one of the 4 blocks.  That means that the finished block takes 4 hours to make.  

Here is a work-in-progress picture.

Here is the block that I made.  Again, this is just one of the 4 blocks that makes a finished block.

Here is the original finished block by the owner of this particular box exchange box.

While at the quilt guild meeting last night I saw this large portfolio sized bag.  It stopped me in my tracks, it was so amazing and beautiful.  It was made out of woven ribbons, and it was lined.  I really really want to make one, but maybe not as big as this one.