fig tree mystery sampler

I think that one of the best parts about quiltmaking is when I start a new quilt. There's all that new potential for discovering and creating and learning new techniques.

You're probably wondering about my other quilts-in-progress, right? I've finished the Moda Modern Building Blocks top! Yes! That thing is huge. I've been waiting for a sunny day to take some photos. Today was sunny... but I completely forgot to get out my camera. You'll see it soon.

So a few months ago, Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree and Company announced a mystery sampler block of the month. Well, I couldn't make up my mind! I was afraid of another block-of-the-month commitment so I stalled until it sold out (I was already working on the Modern and Snapshots BOMs). And mystery quilts scare me. I like to know what I'm getting into before I sign up and commit to that monthly charge on my credit card. What if I don't like the patterns? What if I don't like the fabric? But I love everything Fig Tree, and when the blocks started popping up on Instagram I felt like I was missing out. Joanna was nice enough to find enough fabric for me to get started... so here I am with a third BOM project. I was determined to finish the Modern quilt before I started this one. So, now is the time!

I've created my very technically advanced chart with fabric swatches. Haha! But seriously... we will be using the leftover bits of fabric in future months, and this little grid will help me to remember the names that Joanna uses for each print. It's just copy paper and a glue stick but it works. There are some great prints coming up soon - even some prints from other Moda designers, so I'm excited about that.

I love churn dash blocks. One of my all-time favorite blocks. So easy and classic and you can vary the dimensions to freshen it up. (This reminds me of a Civil War churn dash block-of-the-month that I discovered in a quilt shop in San Antonio and got hooked.) Then there's the rolling stone block...

I love the rolling stone blocks! But because I'm a little crazy, I started thinking about the block name. Rolling stone? Hummm, these blocks don't look like Mick Jagger or Keith Richards. I prefer to think of them as glamorous, like Mick's exes, Bianca Jagger and Jerry Hall.

And then there are the Mini Stems blocks. Kinda deja vu-ish since I just made the Christmas Mini Stems quilt a few months ago. They're simple, time-consuming, and really cute.

The first month is done! (Well, almost... I'm going to temporarily skip the applique clamshell blocks and return to them later.) Now I need to complete three more back months and I'll be caught up. And just in time, because I've already signed up for the upcoming Fig Tree Christmas mystery sampler!

Thanks for checking up on me while I was away last week. I've been super busy at work - it's fall market time for the cosmetic industry - and I've had client meetings and dinners. I squeezed in an hour of sewing wherever I could last week. I've got a few more weeks like this before I return to normal. Those few minutes of sewing make me happy!