Adventures in Quilting - 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - April 2019 - Block 10

Quilter's Haven 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - April 2019

Sew Simple Northern Lights Sampler

One Boxed In Block

Two Stop Blocks

I thought this month's block was very interesting. It has a much different look than all of the other blocks we have completed so far. I like the crisp lines of the inside diamond, and I like that it is formed with the lighter background fabric. The marbled dark and light blue and turquoise of the batik that is used for the rest of the design is really pretty as well. I has so many dimensions in the color swirls. I would be very happy with a whole quilt or wall hanging made using this sort of block design.

The construction was very simple as well.

The small blocks mirror the shape used for the January large block. I am glad we now have multiple blocks with a rounded design. I was a bit worried that we had one circular pattern thrown into a quilt filled with angular, pointed shapes. I think this will balance that out very nicely.

I do not love the orangey red color of the one block, but it matches one of the earlier larger blocks. I'm guessing it will look better once it is all put together. 

We were given one sheet detailing the first part of assembly, but I think I am going to hold off on the assembly instructions until all of the blocks are completed. 

Three more months!

Adventures in Quilting - 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - March 2019 - Block 9

Quilter's Haven 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - March 2019

Sew Simple Northern Lights Sampler

One Around the Block Block

Three Tic-Tac-Toe Blocks

March's blocks were really enjoyable to make. The larger green block was very similar to the block we did in December. I also very much like how the green pops against the cream colored background fabric. I hope we use this color again for one or two of the smaller blocks.

All of the points matched up the way they were suppose to, and that is always a relief and bonus to the process.

The two small blocks for this month were made from a pattern called Tic-Tac-Toe. Looking at the finished blocks, I'm not sure what inspired the name. It doesn't particularly remind me of anything to do with a tic-tac-toe game. No X's or O's or shape of the board. So, yeah, not sure. It for some reason reminds me of a basket.

I liked both of the colors we used, and the squares were really easy to put together. No problems to report. And it is March! Only four months left.

Adventures in Quilting - 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - February 2019 - Block 8

Quilter's Haven 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - February 2019

Sew Simple Northern Lights Sampler

One Flocks of Geese Block

Two Bow Tie Blocks

This month definitely upped the challenge rating for sure! Flying Geese ... so many flying geese. I've never used this particular pattern, and they were a bit tricky for me. 

I have since found a much easier way to make the flying geese sets. Alex Anderson and Ricky Tim from The Quilt Show demonstrate a super easy way to form the design in their tutorial for a Sawtooth Star Block (found here). I will for sure use their method next time this technique is called for. As you can see in the picture, I also sewed one set of corner triangles pointing in the wrong direction. I haven't quite decided which direction I like better. The pattern calls for the orange triangles to point toward the corners (as they are on the bottom half of the block), but I do kinda like the break in color that having them point toward the inside gives the design. I will have to decide which side to fix before I assemble, but for now I will leave it as-is.

The small blocks are called Bow Tie Blocks. They were really simple to put together. Luckily no problems there. I kind of saw them as my reward for making it through the large block this month. I had earned something fast and simple for these little blocks.

Adventures in Quilting - 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - January 2019 - Block 7

Quilter's Haven 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - January 2019

Sew Simple Northern Lights Sampler

One Stop Block

Two 9 Patch Blocks

Another month down! And another month where I am really happy with how the large and small blocks turned out. The dark wine color of the larger block is really rich and striking. The octagon shape was super easy to piece as well. 

The small blocks this month repeated the 9 patch pattern that was used last month. We were all a bit surprised that there was a second pink block made. So far, we haven't repeated a block in the same exact color and design as a previous block. I'm not sure where exactly these are intended to go on the finished quilt. That pink is my favorite of the colors we have used so far, so more is okay with me. The instructor isn't fond of the color, so I am not sure how much more we will get of it.

Adventures in Quilting - 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - December 2018 - Block 6

Quilter's Haven 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - December 2018

Sew Simple Northern Lights Sampler

One Spinning Pinwheel Block

Two 9 Patch Blocks

December's blocks were a breeze! I'm finally getting the hang of this. I didn't have to take any of them apart to reset a square or fix a corner. That is a great feeling. I am starting to feel like I am not so horrible at this. 

I really like how the pale blue looks against the background fabric. I also LOVE the pink that we used this month for one of the nine patch smaller squares. I hope we end up using more of this color. It's a great vibrant pink batik with flecks of dark purple. It really brings out the tiny hot pink polka dots on the background fabric. I like the orange as well. It is really soft and brings to mind orange creamsicle floats. I think overall the three colors used this month look really great next to each other. 

I am not completely sold on the design of the center of the block, but I think it will be okay once the whole quilt is assembled. Along, depending on the angle, it reminds me of a swastika, and I'm not thrilled about that. From other angles, it makes me think of a child's pinwheel toy or a wind mill. I'm trying to train my eye not to see the first one. 

I'm a little nervous about the bright red square we did during our second month of the BOM. That one just seems very harsh when looking at it next to the other squares we have done so far.

We will see though. I do not know what other colors are being added in as we go, so I am sure it will all work out to something harmonious. I mean, at worse, if I do not like it at the end I can always remake the block in a different color. 

Adventures in Quilting - 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - November 2018 - Block 5

Quilter's Haven 2018-2019 Block of the Month Club - November 2018

Sew Simple Northern Lights Sampler

One Friendship Star Block

Three Shoe Fly Blocks

Friendship Star Block

The November blocks went pretty smoothly. No major hiccups. I had already learned the technique for creating the pinwheel centerpiece on the large block when I made the trio of smaller blocks last month. That really was the hardest part. I like how rich the purple looks against the cream background.

I am beginning to see the benefit of using a dark background with the blocks because on the samples it always looks as if the brightly colored shapes are floating on a solid sea of black. That's a really nice affect. I can't quite achieve that using the lighter background because you can see all of the seam lines so much clearer. That's okay though. I think overall I am still going to be much happier with the finished product that I end up versus if I had made it on a black or dark gray.

Those border pieces that are repeated on all of the 15 1/2 inch blocks are getting easier. They were sort of the bane of my project the first couple of months. Now I seem to have that part down so that they turn out right the first time instead of the third or fourth time around.

Shoe Fly Blocks

This month we also completed three of the 6 1/2 inch blocks. The design on those were pretty simple as well. No problems to report. The green one is a bit weird. It's an odd shade of olive green with little gold flecks. We aren't going to be using that color anywhere else in the quilt, and I just find it a bit muted and drab beside all of the other brighter colors. If I dislike it too much by the end, I may switch it for a different color. I have a bag of scraps I have been keeping for my border and any last minute changes.