Block Of the Month 2024

Challenge #1

Is this for me? A Quilting Life started the Block of the Month 2024 in January 2024. I decided to follow it, wanting to extend my skill with accuracy with piecing and squaring before sewing the section together.  I didn't anticipate the brainstorming that came with each block without seeing the pattern beforehand.  For this project, I used leftover Christmas fabric and added some others from another bundle, but the value of the fabric is what I struggled the most with. So, I drew each block on quadrille paper, and I colored each section to visualize the value of the light, medium, and dark fabric. It helps tremendously.

Challenge #2

Don't like surprises. There are fifty-five small Square-in-a-Square in this quilt which I didn't know until the reveal of the assembly of the top was given at the end.

 Most of the square-in-square were chewed up by the seam allowance, even when I squared the block. The sashing was off a bit, too. Having put so much effort into piecing the block to have their points chewed up was disheartening.

I thought of ripping off every single one, but then I realized that the shashing was also off and not center. This has yet to happen often to me where cornerstones and sashing don't align with the rest of the blocks. After thinking about it, I admitted to myself the need to practice this square-in-square method and move on; otherwise, this top would have gone into a bin forever. As I write this block,  I'm thinking of fixing that square-in-a-square!

Challenge #3

Let it go. It's okay to admit we've limited ourselves in some piecing areas. Everyone has talent and skill when it comes to quilting. I've learned to avoid benchmarking or comparing myself to someone gifted in the skill area of quilting. But I love to discover an easier, faster, and more precise way of quilting.

For this reason, I've watched many YouTube tutorials to improve my skill with the square-in-a-square method. And I didn't even know there were many ways to do it. Yep, I may redo those nasty ones. We'll see:)

Challenge #4

Know your limits. For my part, I rarely participate in a mystery quilt or block of the month for good reason. Not seeing the entire final layout of the quilt isn't my forte. So why did I do it, you would ask? I wanted the challenge, and I got it! I have no regrets at all, for I've learned that some of my weaknesses in quilting need to be developed.

Challenge #5

Don't pull your hair; buy a bundle! Next time I embark on a mystery quilt or a sew-along, I will purchase a bundle of fat quarters that coordinate and leave the brainstorming for a pattern I can see. Doing so will ease my choice of value for each block, and I will enjoy the sewing process. 

 

How about you? Have you learned a lesson or two while quilting this year? Let's go Quilt!

 Resources

A Quilt Life: https://www.aquiltinglife.com/a-quilting-life-2024-block-of-the-month/

Blockhead 5: Top Completed

 Building Our Skills

When I started Blockhead 5 in January 2024, I had yet to learn that Moda Fabric began Group 1 in September 2023 with only nine blocks, while Group 2 had thirty blocks. Moda Fabric provides a free weekly pattern from a different designer to assemble and improve your piecing skills. I skipped the paper piecing and the applique pattern and sewed thirty blocks using the fabric from my stash.

Unfortunately, as this top progressed, I realized I lacked certain fabrics—some for the outer border, the sashings, and the cornerstones. Yeah, how that happens is simple. When I joined Blockhead 5, my first thought was to improve my piecing skills and not worry about fabric yardage. However, as I sewed each week, I made a quilt for my daughter, inserting four of her blocks from high school. Well, the quilt turned into a monster size!

I should have considered the improvisation I had to make while selecting fabrics for each block, as I did not know how it would look when completed. This part was a challenge, and I must admit there are a few things I dislike about the top, but that is how we learned quilters by building new skills.

 

No Regrets

I tested a few fabric for background for the shashing and opted for a purple Batik.

 

This giant quilt is 80" x 93.5". The blocks are 12", and there are thirty of them. This is what it looks like when you improvise without knowing the final result. What I would do differently next time is make sure I have yardage for the background, sashing, and a main theme for the fabric.  

Final Result

Cats & Butterflies 2024

 I wasn't entirely satisfied with the result of this quilt, but it turned beautiful top, and I'll probably quilt it next winter.
 
Have you ever followed a Mystery or sew-along without knowing the outcome until the designer revealed the assembling of all the blocks you pieced together? The mystery is NOT my favorite project on the top of my bucket list. Too often, I was not too fond of the result or the fabric I chose. But this year, I challenged myself to build my skills in all different sewing areas. Wow,  Blockhead 5 did it for me! If I had a bundle from a designer, that would be so much easier and fun!
 
Now, enough complaining, so let's prepare another quilt top.

Have a lovely summer!

RESOURCES

Blockhead 5:https://www.modafabrics.com/blockheads5

Hen Party: Quilted

 Hello my quilting friends,

This top was quilted on the Janome Horizon 7700 with a simple stippling design on the hen's blocks and a free-motion flowers pattern and sun on the chick's blocks.

 

This quilt was entirely done with fabric from my stash. Even for the borders as you can see clearly they aren't of the same fabric.

 

Patterns

I find this pattern in the Quilt Mania Special Spring 2013, that was on a donation magazines pile at my local quilt store. This pattern was simple and perfect for a beginner quilter. Like me, if you find a pattern you like. Sew it!

I'm not sure if this book is still available, but you can still find the Hen Party Pattern by Button and Bees at Connecting Thread. See link below.

Backing & Binding

For the backing, I've used large pieces of fabric that I didn't care much for anymore. And for the binding a bright red-orange strip of fabric.

Quilting

For the firs chick block, I used a Leonis Water Erasable Markers for the emplacement of free-motion flower, sun, and grass. Did that for the first two blocks but after that, I winged it. 

 

 

The hen's block were done with a free-motion stippling around the hens and feathers for the body. And last, I find little buttons for the eyes. The quilt hang in my guest room. 

Resources

Leonis Erasable Markers: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00QTIBOS4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

Hen Party Pattern:https://www.connectingthreads.com/hen-party-pattern/p/55613

Let's Go Quilt!