When the year began, I wasn't particularly interested in participating in the sew along being sponsored by the Quilter's Planner. I had splurged on the planner, and really enjoyed the goodies that came along with it, but from previous experience with BOMs and quilt-alongs, I really did not have a very strong track record.
The top picture is my planner, which came with two cover options. Because I had some of the Bonnie and Camille fabric, second picture, I selected the one featuring their navy floral. My collection of it is limited, but the whole line is quite scrumptious,.
At about the same time I was getting used to using my planner, I was making the quilt you see above. It's a simple 9-patch quilt using an entirely different sort of fabric, this from Lecien called
Memoire a Paris. I had begun with a whole fat quarter pack and plenty was left over when the 9-patch top was completed. Those leftovers remained folded ever-so-neatly on the cutting table, and while I was dreaming up my next project, the pretty QP January blocks began appearing on my social media feeds. Without even thinking, I grabbed some
Memoire a Paris fabric and made the January block.
Ah!! I loved the way this block turned out! It is so soft and feminine and I could make a whole quilt using blocks like this! As impulsively as I made the January block, I decided to use those leftovers to make the blocks for this sew along.
And I love making them! Each month I devote an afternoon or an evening to making two blocks, and because I adore this fabric so much, I just love doing it. Take a look at my additional blocks.
January only required one block, but February, March and April have each had two blocks. Above are the blocks for February.
These are the March blocks. You can sorta' see a glimpse of the quilt on the cover of the accompanying QP magazine.
And now I have finished my April blocks. I am enjoying creating this quilt, and I look forward to the blocks for the rest of the year. I may even go all rebellious and work ahead!
*grin*
The fun is in the creating. I have no grand plans for this quilt, yet I know I am going to love it when it's finished. I am definitely loving the construction. All the creativity of fabric selection, fabric placement, designs and maybe even substitutions - I get a thrill from this whole range of decision-making. It may well be the part of quilt-making that I love most.
An additional fun element with this particular sew along is that the folks at Quilter's Planner have a Facebook group and an Instagram account; they invite sew along participants to share their blocks each month. I love seeing the vast variety of blocks - fabric choices certainly are all over the quilting spectrum. You might go online and snoop around for them to see what you think.
Happy Quilting, Friends!
