Wanna make some Blocks?

First off, a HUGE thanks for all of the great comments and personal emails after learning I'd won the big R2CA ribbon.  It is special to hear from the many friends I know from the quilt world, quilt circuit, former days of hosting swaps and my many clients.  thanks :-)

If I don't have enough things going on, it is that time when I need to be starting the blocks that will get delivered at MQX for the quilts of valor drive (QOV).  Last year I did all patriotic colors, but this year I think I will do them a little differently.  Here is a link that shows the three block patterns that are being collected.  They can be stitched in either patriotic colors or modern fabrics/colors with a gray background.  Now I will be the first to tell you that I HATE the notion of using gray.  It's blah and drab, and I am just not into that modern aesthetic.  But...(there is always a but), I used LOTS of the red, white and blue that I had stashed last year (I made nearly 150 blocks last year), so I am low on those colors, and not so low on some of these other bolder ones.  The feature fabric on the modern block should be visibly large-scale, bold modern print or solid, no novelties, small prints or batiks.

There are three blocks (shown below), but I'm not so a fan of the paper piecing, so I am looking for the one or two blocks that can be made the fastest.  The Anvil (left) is relatively quick, as is Mississippi (ctr), so I am planning on them.

 

I'm hoping to get a little help from others too (My mom did many blocks last year), so if you might be interested in donating to a very worthwhile cause, just let me know!  Here's the instructions for the Mississippi block. 

 You'll need:
     eight 4-1/2" squares of background and one of the center print
     four 2-1/2" squares of some fabric (I'm using solid) and four 2-1/2" squares of the center print

Lay the fabrics across the background and draw a line from corner to corner on the smaller square. PLEASE IGNORE THE SHORTER LINES I DREW...I WAS TRYING OUT USING THE SCRAPS, BUT THEY ARE JUST TOO SMALL TO BOTHER WITH.

You will have four background squares done exactly like this.  Be sure that the center print is always in the upper right corner.

Sew ON the line you drew, and trim 1/4" away from the line.  Toss the scrap. Or use it if you choose, but it is a tiny triangle.  Don't ask me how I know...

 Press the 4 blocks you just created.  Your layout is this.

 Now sew the 9 blocks together.  Viola!  Easy-Peasy.

I will also get some directions together for the Anvil.  I will make a HST sheet for those so they can be quickly mass produced on paper too.  Anybody wanna make a Mississippi??