patchwork quilt along 2017

Hello everybody! It's a new year, and I'm jumping right into it with the latest Patchwork Quilt Along, sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop and Moda Fabrics. Y'all know that I love a good quilt along, and this one benefits Make-A-Wish Foundation. I'll give you the details on that later. But first, here's a look at what we're sewing this year.

Image courtesy of Fat Quarter Shop

For the Patchwork Quilt Along 2017 we'll make 72 blocks. Ok, don't panic yet. Each month we'll sew 6 five inch blocks all using the same pattern. The blocks are all relatively simple and quick to sew - I think that this would even be a great project for beginners.  

There's a kit to make a quilt exactly like the sample, but I'm using the new Fleurs collection by Brenda Riddle for Moda Fabrics. I love Brenda's softer palette, and I thought it would be interesting to see what a modern, graphic quilt pattern could look like in paler prints. (I know that some quilters might do a mock-up with EQ7 or Photoshop to see what this would look like. And that's a great idea. But not for moi. I'm just winging it and hoping that it all works out the way it looks in my mind!)

So those are my prints. And here are the first 6 blocks, called "Souvenir of Friendship."

And now for the full details. Fat Quarter Shop will release each new block pattern on the 15th of each month. The patterns are free to download, but a donation of $5 per pattern is requested to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Fat Quarter Shop and Moda Fabrics will match the donations raised up to $20,000 - how cool is that?! You can purchase the kit here, or if you'd like to use your own fabric, just scroll down within the item listing and you'll see the fabric requirements. (I'm using a fat quarter bundle of Fleurs along with yardage of the cream background fabric. These blocks don't need much fabric, so I'll have lots of leftovers, but I'm not complaining about that!) Here's a helpful block tutorial video.

If you've wondered why I have been absent for awhile, well... we've been busy house hunters! We closed on a home that I am in love with just a few days ago! I shared a photo of the outside of the house on Instagram, and I am hoping to write about the journey to homeownership here soon. And yes, I will finally have a real sewing room. Woo hoo! Here is our new home!