Thursday, January 23, 2014

BLOCK OF THE MONTH: CELEBRATING THE ALPHABET

I am celebrating today.  With the completion of the Monkey Wrench block I have reached the halfway point of this extended BOM.  We have completed 13 blocks.  I will pat myself on the back.  I have managed to stay on track, albeit the last two months I had a delay.
 
I present to you the results of staying on the trip:
If you have been following my blogs you know I am working with fabrics I wanted to cleanse from my stash.  First, they are paisleys; second, they are old fabrics; and third, they are all different weights of fabrics.  The constants are a heavier weight similar to a broad cloth. 
I did deviate from using all paisleys, the red was the absolutely perfect match for the reds in the constants.   Seeing my blocks all together would I change anything, have I learned anything?  Yes, The major thing I notice, the fabrics I added with my "constants"  are too dark.  I think they should be more medium.  Remember though, I am trying to eliminate a certain style of fabric from my stash.  I am using what's on  hand.
 
I have a large amount of the white background paisley so I took the liberty of fussy cutting some of the units in the blocks.  The only thing is I have to watch when I join the fussy cut blocks to other blocks.  If the fussy cut detail is on the outside of the block it probably has a bias edge. 
 
In one of the first blogs I stated I didn't care to do BOMs.  I think the reason I didn't like BOMs was the ones I was familiar with, came in kits.  They were the color choices of the designer.  This one appealed to me because the colors were my own to choose. I had chosen to use my stash and not invest any money in it, thus if I decided to chuck it, I wouldn't feel bad.  If I didn't like it, the plus would be, the blocks I made would make a great quilt to donate.
 
There is a big plus, I am doing blocks which I might have never tried. 
 They are giving me mental inspiration for quilts I might eventually make. 
Another plus, it guarantees me at least 2 hours sewing time each month,
no matter how hectic my life becomes
 
If you are new to quilting I encourage you to try a BOM. 
If you have trouble choosing colors, a BOM at your local Quilt store
will help you become comfortable with fabric choices. 
 
Dorothy Young, owner, of the yahoo group "A Pocketful of Mysteries"
 is the hostess and designer of this BOM. 
This Block of the Month quilt series began in January 2013,
and will continue for the next two years.
  The yahoo site for this trip is:
It is not too late to join in. So far I have found the construction of the blocks simple. 
I do recommend you start with the first block if you are a beginner. 
There are simple techniques you will pick up on the journey.


Join us in this 2 year journey. There are several hundred friends taking the trip
The following, are the blogs written each month on my journey through the alphabet.
 
I 'm hosting a mystery quilt for my guild. 
This is the link for instructions for the  mystery:
 
Other blog sites by me:
 
Where I have stories of my cats and other pets
a blog about my courtship with my husband,
and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.
A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.
 
blogs about the wildflowers on our farm
Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,
blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures
Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle
New Blog:
 
All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.
I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .
Please do not copy without permission


2 comments:

maggie said...

Gloria, Your blocks are just lovely. It is so much fun to see them all together. I have really enjoyed doing them too. I am behind right now, but I'll catch up soon.
Love to you my friend.
maggie

Mel said...

I don't think the value is off. I love them. I am behind. I should work on those that I need done during this snow day.
Meloney