Category: Blocks

Blocks, General

March Block of the Month – A Heartfelt Creation!

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March’s Block of the Month is here, and I had an absolute blast making this one! This block is extra special because of the gorgeous heart right in the center—it immediately reminded me of the heart in my home. There’s something so wonderful about sewing a design that carries so much meaning.

Are you participating in the 2025 Block of the Month hosted by the amazing Sherri at A Quilting Life? If not, it’s never too late to jump in! It’s completely free, and each month brings a new block that challenges and inspires.

I’d love to hear all about your BOM journey! What colors are you using? Are you trying something new with fabric placement? Share your progress in the comments or tag me on social media so we can cheer each other on.

I can’t wait to see what April’s block brings, but for now, I’m going to sit back and admire this heart-filled beauty.

Happy quilting! 🧵💖

Blocks, General

February Block of the Month – Learning and Growing!

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February’s Block of the Month is complete, and while I probably could have created better contrast, I’m embracing this as a learning experience! Quilting is just as much about growth as it is about creating, and each block is an opportunity to improve and explore new techniques.

This BOM is hosted by the talented Sherri at A Quilting Life, and the best part? It’s completely free! If you haven’t joined yet, it’s never too late to start. Each month brings a fresh design, new challenges, and a chance to sew along with a wonderful quilting community.

Despite my thoughts on contrast, I’m happy with how my February block turned out. It’s always fun to see how color choices and fabric placement impact the final design. If you’re working on yours, I’d love to see it! Share your progress in the comments or tag me on social media.

I’m already looking forward to March’s block and can’t wait to see what’s next in this journey. Whether you’re following along with the BOM or working on your own projects, remember—every stitch is a step forward!

Blocks

More Anita's Arrowhead Blocks

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I really do love these blocks!  I have been really busy with the “day job” and graduate school, which makes me thankful I have some simple projects underway that I can continue to work on.  These blocks are great when I have just a few minutes.  I love the way these look!  Block pattern is by Anita Grossman Solomon.  Sheer genius!

I am hopeful that I can finish these blocks up this week, but let’s see how it goes!

Blocks

Just a little distraction….

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I have so many projects in progress and my goal is to wrap up many by April.  However, I just decided to start a new one!  I have a quilt frame with a BabyLock Jane for quilting my projects.  I have really wanted to learn to free motion quilt on my domestic home sewing machine.

Well…I wasn’t feeling so well yesterday, so I spent time laying around and surfing the web and I came across a new learning session that Leah Day at Free Motion Quilting Project started for 2014.  I have taken Leah’s Craftsy classes, but never quite got the hang of it.  I thought this would be a great option because she has videos and has set up a FaceBook group for all the participants to share progress and questions.  There is a fee for the PDF download with the blocks for the project, but it is very reasonable.  I really like this option because we are learning piecing techniques as well as free motion quilting.
First thing this morning, I got to work cutting the blocks for the January session.  I pieced them and set out to test free motion quilting on my old Janome 4800QC.  I had a real issue with going backwards on the Janome as it left eyelashes on the back.  After about an hour, I decided to pull my BabyLock Jane off the quilt frame and guess what?  Right off the bat it was a perfect stitch…no tension issues at all.  I am using Superior Omni thread on the top and Superior Bottom Line on the bottom.  
I used fabric I had in my stash and for the back I used a layer cake, ‘Lost and Found 2’ by Riley Blake.
I free motion quilted the first block and found that I was having difficulty between my foot and my hands 🙂  One or the other was going too fast!  Here is my first block:
Block Front:
Block Back:
So for the next block, I removed my shoes to see if I could ‘connect’ with the pedal and my hand movements.  This is something Leah recommends, but I reallly didn’t think I needed.  Below are the pics and I really think that it made a difference.  I still need practice, but it felt more natural.
I can’t wait to start the February session!  Oh and did I tell you?  Leah Day’s husband Josh is also participating and since he is very new as well, Leah goes over all the challenges and ways to correct them.  Check it out!