Chunk of the month - for real this time!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you see all those fabulous blocks and quilts from the Mississauga Quilt Guild Block of the Month???   If not - check the post from yesterday.

The reason I showed you those particular years is that Mary and I have been involved in some very successful Block of the Month programs although we had never worked together before.  This year we teamed up.  I wonder what we can do together??

After much discussion (car rides are super for discussions - parents need to take advantage of that with their kids!), we settled on a theme/style of quilt and then we set to work to make it happen. Again we wanted something way different than we had ever done before and boy did our wish come true.

 I designed the quilt in EQ7 which made the process easy. I started by gradating the background which was made up of 2" (finished) squares. Then I added the stars.

Now here is the kicker - the guild members took on this project without seeing a finished quilt and they were given MINIMAL instructions. They did receive a copy of the gradated background and one ninth of the pattern |(each month) - all in GRAYSCALE.  I did not want them to be influenced by what I or Mary was doing. The other requirement - they had to bring in homework or bring in a picture before they would get the next installment. No pattern collecting!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had show n tell a week ago and I was blown away.  Although we have seen the quilts as they progressed, it was stunning to see them all at the meeting. A couple were already quilted...............


Sit back and enjoy  (I think we ended up with 50+ members signing up and we had just over 30 tops at the show n tell) - not a back return and I know others (myself included are working to get them done).   For more behind the scenes - there are two tutorials on my blog that go through the initial process.

A couple more notes - everyone chose to deal with their background in their own way - some used one fabric, some use one colour family, some gradated the colours (in multiple and super creative ways) and one even has a pattern running through it.  Amazing group of quilts and the creativity is out of this world. Also some of the elements got switched around or changed which the participants were encouraged to do.

Halima

Linda

Pat

Jane

Lil   (those turquoise accents - same colour as her shirt!!)

Shirley

Mary

Mary (a different Mary)

Val

Mildred (dressed to match her quilt)

Tish

Peggy who also dressed to match her quilt

Diane

Pat

Wendy

Jana

Elizabeth (whoa - look at that background!)

Marilyn (this background is amazing)

Evelyn

Margot

Helen Anne

Sheila

Sonja

Teresa

Suzannah

Assunta

Ruth

Ruthi

Bonnie

Jayne (partially done, but well on her way!)

Elaine (not me!)

Anne (from Brampton Guild)

Isn't that just an amazing display of talent????


Ladies - Mary and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.   This was a "not for the faint of heart" project (I know - now I tell you!) yet so many of you embraced it and made it your own. I am so proud of all of you and thanks for taking a leap of faith with us.   It has been super fun and I couldn't wait to get to the guild meeting each month.  We either got to see some beautiful work in progress or we got sob stories!!!!   It was always fun to see and hear the progress.

And for those of you still working on your top - WHEN you get it done - send me a picture.


Now I decided to make a little progress myself. No - not on my chunk of the month which is no where completed. But I will dig it out.


But I dug this out instead. Yes - so much for the 2014 shelf as this was in the bowels of a closet.

I found the box with the Canadian themed block of the month that Mary and Karen did way back

 Since the box was out - I might as well have a look at what is in the box.   Oh - there are the pictures that I posted yesterday.

Oh my - beautiful Canadian flower themed fabric for the back, but there is a LOT of this fabric - I might use it for the backing of a much smaller quilt. 

Here is why you do NOT leave pins in stuff.   I have't touched this box in a long time and there was NO PIN in the piece, but there must have been at one time.  I buy good quality stuff, but still - look at that rust spot!!!!!    NOT doing the block over. 

Thankfully I had a diagram laid out showing where all the blocks go.  It was easy to reassemble this on the design wall.  

Hmmmm - I see that I need to finish off that compass block. There are three more blocks to be made - 2 fish and a grain elevator. Got patterns for both, but they need to be resized and that is going to be fun - the fish is 5 1/2" by 11" and it needs to be 3 1/2" by 6 1/2".     That is one reason why this project got put on hold.

And I bet the other was the applique.  The applique blocks had been made, but they lacked stitching around the edges.  I bit the bullet last night and got them all appliqued.   I know - when I was done - I said - that was easy!!!!!!!!!!!

Mountie block (Ruffled Elegance pattern)

Moon over the mountain block

So if I get to work on those last three blocks - how hard would it be to sew this together. NOT hard at all.  I am going to have to get into a routine where I sew one quilt top per week at least.   There are so many that are this close to being done - it is scary.  That is why most of them are hidden away so I can't really see the full scale of the problem!!!!


Of course if I were to get these tops done, then I end up having tops to be quilted and no time for that. Well there would be if I prioritize. But I have been digging through the buckets with the quilts ready to be quilted and it was time to get them back in order.

Tubs of quilts to be quilted   (This is HALF)

I got excited seeing some of those tops.  Yes - there are some that I could easily give away, but most of them bring back some memory.  Yes - I must try to get more of my stuff done.

Anway - it all worked out except I ended up with a backing and binding and NO TOP.  What?????   I could not figure that one out for an hour or so and then remembered the top is at a store as a sample. DUH!!!!!


Once again - thanks to all the ladies at the guild who made our year of Block of the Month so successful. We could not have done it without your help!!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!