Blogger Girls Block of the Month-Block 1

Happy 2013 everyone!! I hope everyone had a nice safe evening to ring in the New Year last night.  We had a nice low-key evening at home with lots of food. 🙂  I am back on the healthy food wagon after a few months of naughty holiday eating.  AND I am starting out the first day of the year right…with a blog post!

Seems Monique of Open Gate Quilts is hosting a little block of the month sew-a-long!!  You can see all the details and instructions on her blog here.  Oh and did I mention it is free!!  How fun!!!  I LOVE Monique’s patterns and rulers, so I knew this would be something I would LOVE to participate in.  I don’t really have a lot of free time, so any stitching time I have is like precious gold.  After reading Monique’s instructions, I realized there was a smaller 6 block quilt option.  I thought “even I have time for that!”  So off I went last night to make the first block!!  The only restrictions I placed on myself is that I HAVE to use fabric from my stash.  For most people this would not be difficult, but for my measly stash (although it is getting better) this could be a challenge.  BUT then I remembered some fabric…a lot of fabric I recently incorporated from a former BOM I chose not to finish after a few months.  I loved the quilt and I LOVED the fabric, just lost interest in piecing it.   Life is too short to stitch something if your heart is not really into it!  Anyways, I have all this gorgeous fabric.  I knew as soon as I saw Monique’s quilt that I would use a lot of the those fabrics in it.

My first block! 

My version of the quilt will all be made out of a variety of reproduction fabric.  There is a lot of light background fabric in the pattern, so it will really help to showcase the beautiful fabric!!

I will be piecing one block each month, but if you are making the 12 block option quilt, then you would be making 2 versions of the same block each month.  Monique’s piecing instructions are wonderful.  Clear and concise.  She also includes pressing instructions, so your block goes together like butter!!  The majority of the content of my blog is machine quilting, but you may not realize I love to piece too.  AND I am just as particular about my piecing as I am my machine quilting.  I like my piecing to be very accurate, so my blocks come out very accurate. 🙂

LOL!!!  I like the backs of my blocks to look just as nice as the front!!!  Just like when I quilt. 🙂

I used Monique’s Fit To Be Geese Ruler...LOVE that ruler!!  Makes all my Flying Geese come out perfectly!

This was such a fun block to piece!  I cannot wait for the next one!!! 

I hope some of you will join in too!  There is also a Flickr Group here to share blocks on.  It is fun to see the blocks in different fabrics.  Fabric changes the look so much!