Blocks Under Construction!

I have been participating in Cozy Quilt Shop's Building Blocks designed by Sharyn Craig. It is a Block of the Month series on the theme of building or construction. Each month you can buy a kit for $5, which includes the block pattern with template patterns/rotary cutting directions and 3 fat eighths in one of 5 colorways (black & white, red & green, brights, pastels & red, white & blue.

Here are some photos of my red & green blocks. I had a lot of fun coloring in the block diagrams and couldn't stop at just one block for each design. So I made three of each and a fourth for the January block. And I still have lots of fabric left over if I want to make a fourth of the other months' blocks. The January block is titled "Hammer & Nails." I mixed up fabrics from the other blocks so it gave a lot of variety to the designs. I also added a couple of Moda Marbles in a couple of blocks.

February's block is called "Skylights."

March is titled "Picture Window."

April's block is called "Newel Post."

May is "Plumb Line." Doesn't the third block look totally different?

This is the kit for June, "T Square."

The blocks are not terribly difficult, but they challenge your sewing skills and use of fabrics. The red and green colorway has had a lot of directional fabrics, which, while somewhat challenging, has been fun. It's always more fun and interesting when you try something a little out of your comfort zone.

A Great Beginning for a New Year of Quilting

How’s this for a great quilting start for 2011! I went to Cozy Quilt Shop this morning for the Fat Quarters Anonymous demonstration and the kickoff of Building Blocks with Sharyn Craig, a new block of the month the shop is sponsoring. The shop was decked out with a Happy New Year banner, party noisemakers for all guests, and a mirrored disco ball, which Daniella, the owner of Cozy’s, pointed out, would be on a pulley next year for a true ball drop. We did a countdown anyway and blew our noise-makers. Don’t you wish you were there?

The new quilt for Fat Quarters Anonymous is a stunner. “It’s called Curvaceous,” Daniella said, “after some of us!” It uses anywhere from 5 to 33 fat quarters depending on the finished size, from a lap to a king and uses raw edge appliqué (easy, peasy ladies) instead of curved piecing. You can find the pattern at Cozy’s website, http://www.cozyquilt.com/. Here’s a photo. Sorry about rather poor quality on some of these photos. I had my camera on the wrong setting.

After FQA our own nationally-known quilter/teacher/lecturer, Sharyn Craig, gave a fabulous presentation to kick off the new Block of the Month at Cozy’s called “Building Blocks.” Obviously, there will be one block a month, all of which are 9” finished blocks, all in the “9-patch” configuration, with many variations. Sharyn said some of the blocks are in the public domain, being old standards. Some she designed herself, although she did say if you look hard enough you might find them somewhere, because “There’s only so many ways you can put a block together.” Each month the new block pattern can be purchased for $3. It is a single sheet printed on both sides, with diagrams and templates for cutting and assembly. There is no coloration of the block because Sharyn wants you to do your own thing, putting fabrics together in your own style. I thought I would photocopy the line drawing and color it several different ways before I put my block together. The pattern will also be sold as a kit with 3 fat eighths (9” x 21”) each month, in five different colorways—black and white, pastel, bright, red and green, and patriotic—for ONLY $5. Such a bargain! You do need about one yard of background fabric for all 12 blocks. You can use only the kit fabrics or add to them. There are no rules—it’s your quilt so do whatever you like. You don’t have to commit to buying all the blocks, but you can put your name on a list so they will hold a kit for you. They will be available at the shop and online on the first of each month. Here are some photos of Sharyn’s presentation—she is such an enthusiastic speaker and a great teacher. The photos of the blocks include each colorway, with multiple blocks of the red and green. In the first photo below, clockwise from upper left, are: black and white (with added red accent), patriotic (red, white, blue & added gold), red and green, pastel (with black background). In the second photo, from upper left are red and green, pastel (on light background), brights, and another red and green.

The other photos are examples of sampler quilts, such as you would make with Blocks of the Month, which Sharyn has made in the past. She brought them to show what you can do with a collection of different blocks. It was a fun morning. I can’t wait to get started on mine. Details and pictures should be on the Cozy website soon.

Already a great quilting experience to start 2011!