Q's juggling blocks

Just thought I'd tell you a bit about how I made Q's "Cares in the Air" juggling blocks. I found the idea in a book called Denyse Schmidt Quilts. It is one of the easier projects in the book. Quilting is one of those things I've always admired others doing, but never thought I'd give it a try (like knitting, but I'm still lovin' it!). Doing a simple project like these blocks has given me confidence to try another quilting project in the future.

The first thing I did was cut out the pieces according to the measurements in the book. Then, I spread them out so that I could see how to stitch the pieces together.

Next, I stitched the short sides of the frame first, then stitched the long sides. They looked like this:

I stitched on a 4-1/2 by 4-1/2 square lining to the back of each patch work square as well as to the backs. Then each front piece was stitched to a back piece right sides facing. The back pieces were cut out of the same striped fabric as the squares in the center of each front piece. And speaking of fabric, I used recycled t-shirts, a kitchen towel and a place mat (the striped fabric) to put these together. I wanted these blocks to be bright as they are tossed in the air.

At the end of stitching both sides together, about an inch or so was left unstitched for turning. Each block was filled with about 2/3 cup of dried lentils. Then, I stitched the blocks closed by hand.

I made this simple drawstring bag from recycled denim fabric to store the juggling blocks. Q really likes these blocks I made for him. He likes the feel of them as they are a bit heavier than juggling balls. I also think he might be able to use these with children's ministry in the future--and the kids would love it!

I did a short video on his juggling skills with the blocks I made him. There's even some background music, cuz' you just have to have it sometimes! Enjoy.:)