what is a Block of the Month?

After reading the newsletters and surfing fabric shops online, I got interested in this BOM concept.  Apparently it's a program where you sign up to do an entire quilt in a specified time (usually a year, but could be 6 or 9 months too).  Each month you would receive instructions (and fabric too in some) for completing a block for the quilt.  So it's like quilting on an installment plan.  

This intrigued me.  I started looking at my local quilt shop.  They have several BOMs but they had already started, so that was out for me.  I don't know if they have 'catch up' blocks.  Online was next.  OMG was there a lot to choose from!   Many of the quilt shops will ship to you each month.   Trouble was then to find a pattern I liked.  

I found a BOM that was free (a great choice for me) on Craftsy.  This BOM is available to anyone anytime and you choose your own fabric.  The quilt is a sampler of different kinds of quilting methods in a modern style.  I really liked it and signed up for it immediately.  I have a set of fat quarters that I got cheap at Big Lots, so it's not a good quality material, but it will do.  the fabric is a bit oriental in reds and greens.  I am hoping it will look good.

Then I started reading more and found out that the instructor of the Craftsy BOM is starting another BOM called Sugar Block Club in 2013.   And it's only $7.95 for the entire year!  YES another BOM signed up.  Check out the fabrics I bought on Ebay for this one:

Russell's baby quilt

I don't know exactly when I made this but I'm guessing it was in 1990.  My daughter wasn't born until 1991, so it had to be before that.  I did a lot of flying between San Antonio and Albuquerque for work back then.  I took these small cross stitch blocks with me to keep me busy on the flights and at night when I'm in the hotel room.

I don't know why I layed out the blocks like I did.  I can't believe I didn't border the blocks all the way around.  What was I thinking???  It's horrible and I want to tear it apart and redo it.  I'm sure I just hand tied it instead of quilting, so it would be very easy to re-make.  

The blocks are darling, the quilt is horrible.  I'm so sorry you are seeing this, but I have to document the bad with the good. And this is bad.

Beginning Quilting class quilt

After I made the turning twenty and tumbler quilts, I decided to take a class.  In this class, we learned how to make several blocks and put them together in a quilt.  It's the perfect lap size quilt.  I used all Texas material. I also took a free motion quilting class, so I decided to try my hand at it on this quilt.  Most of the quilt is stitched in the ditch, but I free motion quilted the outer border.  I was happy with it, although I need a LOT more practice.

Grace's placemats

Now that the quilting bug has hit me, I decided to make a set of placemats for Grace.  Actually it sprang from a little handle hot pad to a set of hot pads, place mats, and a table runner.  I used a Bali Pop called Plum Pudding and love the batik fabric.  It was my first try at making mitered bindings, and I got better as I went along.

Tranqulity Pinwheels

This quilt pattern is called Vintage Modern Pinwheels from the Moda Bake Shop website.  I love the way the peachy/orange pinwheels pop from the Tranquility jelly roll fabric.  I used 2 jelly rolls to make this.  I bought the tan backing from A Thousand Bolts for a really great price.  I'm in the process of quilting it.

Woven Wildflowers

This is a queen size quilt called Woven Wildflowers.  I found the pattern at the Moda Bake Shop and fell in love with it when I saw it.  I had to buy 3 jelly rolls to finish it this large, but it is worth every penny I paid.  The jelly rolls were Moda's Wildflowers V.   I haven't quilted it yet; I'm still searching for a good backing material.

Red Fish Tumbler quilt

This quilt was a kit that I bought during the Quilt Across Texas shop hop.   I couldn't help but buy it since it was 40% off.  I pieced the backing together from a bolt I found on sale at my local quilt shop.  It's a twin size quilt.

I call it Red Fish because the red tumblers look like fish when you look at the quilt sideways, like so...

I should have done better at randomizing the tumblers, but I was too new at this quilting stuff.

I did manage to make a label.  I made the label and sent it off to Spoonflower and had a fat quarter printed, so now I can cut one out and sew it on the quilts I make easily.

Turning Twenty quilt

21 years later I decided to try quilting again.  This time it was for my son, Alan.  I picked out some manly colors for him.  It's an easy pattern.  For the backing, I cheated and bought a sheet in a light tan.

Fence Rail quilt

I made this quilt 21 years ago for my first baby.  It fits inside a playpen.  I did the backside in a soft shirting material.