A Dandy

This month saw the blocks of quilt 2 of the Anything Goes Quilting Bee being made.

The lovely Jessica of Plum Patchwork sent out some amazing fabric and posted a great post about the blocks she would like us to make. Traditional blocks were the order of the day!

The fabrics that arrived were simply gorgeous and it has taken me most of the month to decide just how to cut into them! I simply loved them - it did cross my mind to slip them into my secret stash, but I think Jessica would shout at me!

Jessica requested 12" blocks and pointed us in the direction of Quilter Cache that has a huge list of suitable blocks. I looked through the list again and again until I came across this block:

 

It's called The Dandy Quilt and comes from the 1930's, which along with the 1940's fascinates me. I will be totally honest here and say I miss read the instructions and cut the fabrics slightly wrong... but I did get there on the second attempt!

 



So one of the blocks was complete, but I hadn't used the other fabric Jessica sent me. So I had another long look at the list.... and I found A Dandy:

It is very similar, but different. I am really pleased with both blocks and I hope that Jessica will like it when it finally lands on her doormat on the other side of the pond!

I have had a sneak peek at November's block and I am really looking forward to the fabric arriving!

October Block Instructions

I'm super excited about October's blocks because we'll be using one of my favorite new fabric collections, LillyBelle by Bari J for Art Gallery fabrics! So here's the deal:Each of you will be receiving a little bundle containing a fat eighth of two different LillyBelle prints, plus a fat quarter of a DS Quilts by Denyse Schmidt print. I'm reaching outside of my comfort zone here - this is the first time I've not chosen a solid as my background fabric!

 

I loved how Anna allowed us each to choose a fabric from our stash to add a little bit of ourselves to her quilt.  I also LOVE the look of sampler quilts, so I'm asking you each to make a 12" traditional block of your choosing.  It would be extra fabulous if you picked a block that represented you in some way (you'll see what I mean in a bit).  Quilters Cache has an amazing array of 12" patterns if you need some inspiration. 

 

The first block I chose was a Churn Dash, which I selected because it's also called a Monkey Wrench.  I fancy myself to be a bit of a mechanic, and my friends have been known to call me a Grease Monkey (a somewhat derogatory term for a mechanic around here, but I wear the badge with pride):

Since my first block only used one color, and I had two LillyBelle prints to work with, I decided to make a second block (I figured some of you would choose three-color blocks so I included two prints.  You don't have to make two blocks, but you're totally welcome to if you want to).

I chose a Maple Leaf block because my very first quilt was a Maple Leaf quilt:

I have to admit I was really nervous about using a patterned background fabric, but I really love the way it works with the LillyBelle!

Hello!

I'm Jessica, and I'll be October's block!

I'm a Quality Assurance engineer in the automotive industry during the day, a graduate student at night, and a quilter (and fabric shop owner) during all the times in between! 


Left to Right, My brothers Nathan and Joshua, my SIL Kayleigh, and Me!

I live near Raleigh, North Carolina, USA with Kona, my Chihuahua-Miniature Daschsund mutt.  I'm sure you don't have to ask, but yes, he was named after a certain type of quilter's solid. 


Gratuitous Dog Pic

I'm super excited to participate in this bee, and I look forward to making a new group of quilting friends!  I blog at Plum Patchwork and hang around on Twitter at @plumpatchwork
See ya around!

Jessica