Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 12

Well, this is it! We've reached the final month in our Kaleidoscope BOM. It's bittersweet for me. I've really enjoyed designing and making all of these blocks, but I'm also excited to complete this quilt and think about another project.

I like to call this block the "pinwheel trifecta." I love how the lime, teal and orange color combos create three fun pinwheels. I'd love to see this block repeated in a quilt. Imagine the movement!

This block has such a fun circular feel to it. Can you imagine a quilt with, say, four or five of these, offset, in some different color combos. I bet it would be super fun.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too. And stay tuned for the finished quilt with all of the blocks combined.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 11
Month 10
Month 9
Month 8
Month 7
Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 10

Why hello there October, you sure snuck up on me. September was a crazy insane month at work as my company was part of the largest technology merger in history. Fortunately, we're onto the next stage, so I have a little more time to quilt. That means I can oogle over this month's blocks in the Kaleidoscope BOM.

I'm absolutely in love with this block. I don't know what it is about it, but the colors in this block sing to me, maybe more than any other block to this point. They just go together so well and create such a dynamic block. I might have to make a whole quilt using this color way.

Could you imagine an entire quilt using this block? It would just scream for some continuous circle quilting. The movement is so fun. It's the color placement, with the green on one side and purple on another that really gives it movement.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 9
Month 8
Month 7
Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 9

It's September, so that means back to school (at least here in Massachusetts), slightly shorter and cooler days and the emergence of fall colors and foods. While most people I know can't wait for fall, I'm hoping Summer lasts well into October and beyond. I love the heat, the summer foods and the long days. I'm not quite ready for fall, but I am ready for two more blocks in the Kaleidoscope BOM series. Let's check these out. 

 As you can tell, these blocks are starting to become a little more detailed. With a few more pieces to each block, there are more and more possibilities in terms of fabric placement and ways to emphasize different elements. In this block above, I was just thinking how cool it would look if I replaced the orange with the white background. Wouldn't that look neat?

This next block reminds me of a bouquet of roses all wrapped up tight and ready to give to a special someone. I bet this would be great with some reds and yellows where the purple is here. 

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 8
Month 7
Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 8

Ah, August - with your glorious heat, chatter of back to school and the reveal of yet another set of Kaleidoscope BOM blocks! I love the heat and warm weather, so the thought of fall coming is a bit of a disappointment, but to many, it's a welcome season. These two blocks channel fall with their colorings. We're starting to get into some slightly more detailed blocks, with more pieces, but that doesn't mean they're any more difficult than the other blocks.

I love the possibility that this block has. If we repeat this block in one quilt, the lime background could create an interesting grid pattern with its straight lines. The bold use of purple in this block really makes the star stand to here.

The second block this month has some fantastic elements to it as well that can be emphasized depending on the fabric placement. Emphasize the purple or green stars, or both, should you choose. The possibilities are endless.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 7Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 7

It's summer here in New England and I'm loving every minute of it. One of my favorite things about it is that I get to not only spend time at the beach, but spend time in my sewing studio, sewing away with the windows open. With this month's blocks in the Kaleidoscope Block of the Month, I was taken to a beautiful hill town with windmills in the distance and the sweet smell of flowers.

I know, just like a mother isn't supposed to have a favorite child, a pattern designer isn't supposed to have a favorite block or pattern. But I just can't help it. I think this block might be my absolute favorite so far. I just love it. I think I need to go see what this would look like repeated in a single quilt.

But oh how fun this block is as well. There's so much going on here that I love. Every time I look at this block I see it in a different way, which is what makes it so fun.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 6

Here we are, at the halfway point in the Kaleidoscope Block of the Month! I get so excited every time I finish another block and add it to my collection of finished blocks. That feeling grew when I placed the two blocks from month 6 up on my design wall. I can't wait to finish all of them and play with the layout a bit.

This first block is fun because of the super narrow pinwheel formed in this block. I can't help but love the thin orange lines outlining the pinwheel. I love adding thin lines around elements to really emphasize a feature and make it stand out.

The color combo in the second block this month is really fun and cheery to me. You could have a lot of fun with depth here, using the darkest fabric where the plum is and working out to the lightest fabric to create a 3-D effect.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 5Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 4

Can you believe that we're 1/3 of the way through the kaleidoscope BOM now? I know I can't. The flowers are starting to bloom here in New England. It also means I can sew with the windows open in my studio, which is exactly what I did when sewing these blocks together.

This first block is fun. It uses a gradation of fabrics from dark to light, outside in, to create depth and movement. I tried making a scrappy version of this block and it created a much different effect. I happen to like the gradation in this block, as I'm getting enough of a scrappy feel with the variation of fabrics in the quilt blocks.

As you can see, we have a theme this month with flying geese. In this block, the geese are going away from the center of the block. You could also make this one scrappy if you wanted that look. Below is the same block in different fabrics. I think I'm going to use the aqua block above because I like the contrast in the aqua and the background more, but I do love the purples and lemon colors together in the block below. This just goes to show you how changing up the fabrics can make a big difference in the final product.

Want to download these blocks and join along? Check out the Craftsy page here. Don't forget to share your work using the hashtag, #kaleidoscopeBOM.


Check out the previous months too:
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 3

Can you believe we're already onto month three of the Kaleidoscope BOM? It feels like New Years 2016 was just the other day. I'm so excited about these two blocks because they start to get a little more detailed, which adds a new layer of dimension to these blocks. 

This first one is so cool to me. I love the way the orange in the middle creates a pinwheel, but it also adds a ton of depth to the lemon star. The plum secondary background adds a cool dimension to this block as well. I love the effect of the kaleidoscope pieces extending into the background as an optical illusion. The quilting could really enhance this when we're done. 

The second block for month three is also so fun. This one has a great out of space vibe to it. Maybe it's the fabric selection or the angles of the center of the star and the star itself, but I feel like I'm on Space Mountain going through the galaxy on a space ship. This just goes to show you how the fabric choice and pattern can really make a block pop. 

If you want to download these blocks and join along in our BOM, hop on over to Craftsy. And remember, if you make any, make sure to share them on social media using #KaleidoscopeBOM

Check out the previous months too:
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Kaleidoscope Block of the Month - Month 1

Here we go, it's month one in the Kaleidoscope Block of the Month. Hop on over to Craftsy to download the first two blocks today!

Block one is a simple kaleidoscope block that has a couple of star patterns here. If you look at the light teal and the dark teal, each color individually could be a star. Make one of those colors the same as the plum in this block and you have a completely different look.

Block two has a lot of depth to it with the dark and light orange here. Playing with color here could change the look of this block as well. Alternate colors for more of a spiral look or make it more scrappy with more fabrics instead of just three here.

Download the blocks here!

Share your blocks on Instagram using the hashtag #kaleidoscopeBOM. I can't wait to see what you make. 

Coming Soon - Kaleidoscope BOM

A while ago I started doodling out different types of kaleidoscope blocks in search of the perfect block. I was originally inspired by my Sunrise Delight quilt, where I took the traditional kaleidoscope block and mixed it up a little. After a bunch of doodling, I couldn't narrow the blocks down and decided to keep going until I had enough to make one a month. Yet I kept doodling to have enough awesome sketches to make two a month. Thus the idea for the Kaleidoscope Block of the Month was born.

With this BOM, I'll post two blocks a month to Craftsy for just $2.50 the first week of the month from January to December in 2016. The blocks will finish at 12.5" unfinished, and if you make all 24 blocks, you'll have a quilt that will measure 72" x 48". Of course you could always take one of the blocks and make an entire quilt out of it. While the blocks will be paper pieced, they're all fairly simple with no seams to match up outside of the point of the kaleidoscope.

Here's a preview of the first two blocks for January:

Here's a look at the fabrics I'm using... I chose four colors, orange, teal, lime and purple and selected a light and dark fabric for both. The backing will be one of my favorite Carolyn Friedlander fabrics.

If you want to sew along, here's what I recommend for fabrics:
Background: 5 yards
Kaleidoscope Fabric: Approximately 8 yards of various prints. For this quilt I will be using eight one yard cuts. You could also use a fat quarter bundle for a more random look. If you go that route, I recommend at least 32 fat quarters that contrast with your background fabric.

I can't wait to see what everyone makes with these fun blocks. 

Christmas BOM Finally Finished

Yup, it's official.  I'm finally finished the FQS Designer Mystery BOM from 2010.  I finished it at retreat last weekend. This made my third finished quilt top for retreat.  Granted I just needed to finish the border, which took a LOT longer than anticipated.

I struggled with the border for a while.  I have no idea why, but I had issues aligning the stars so that they lined  up.  I cut fabric the wrong length.  I had a hole burned in my fabric, so I had to piece on part of the border that didn't need to be pieced originally.  Needless to say, I loathed this quilt come the end. Especially when I laid it down and realized it didn't lay flat in one area (see that pucker in the border on the right). Seriously?  I haven't had this many issues with a quilt in probably 5-7 years, when I was still just a novice quilter.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled that this top is done, but I think I'll be putting it away for a while until I grow to love it again and want to quilt the top.

I do want to note that the issues I had were not with the pattern itself.  The FQS did a good job with the pattern, I just had so many issues with the border.

Oopsie

So I was so proud of myself, completing block 9 of the Carol Doak Radiant Star BOM, but when I went to photograph it with the rest of the blocks, it was 1/2" too big!  Ahh

It's a cute block too!

I always measure to make sure the block is the right size before I start sewing, but for some reason, this time around I must have measured wrong.  :(  Welp, this block might become a pillow.

Another Simply Radiant Block

While I had no machine, I prepped a couple of the Simply Radiant BOM blocks from the Carol Doak Yahoo Group.  Here's this completed block.  I just love how these blocks are turning out.

And here are the eight that I've completed.  Just four more to go.

This block is in the upper right corner.  I said it before, and I'll say it again, I love these!

Christmas Quilt Border

Well, the bug that's been going around finally hit me last week.  I'm finally starting to feel better and have begun to get back into some sewing.  I spent several days in bed doing nothing, feeling so blah.  I'm glad to be back on my feet, although not 100% just yet.

To get back into the swing of things, I've begun working on the 10 stars for the Christmas Quilt border.

This required making 40 of each of the above rectangles for the 10 squares. I made all of them and am in the process of sewing all of these together to form the star tips.

Here you can see the stars starting to take shape.  I have about 2/3 of the star points finished. Once I finish those I can make the stars and assemble the border to FINISH the quilt top.  Whoo Hoo.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for four fat quarters in my previous post.  The winner will be announced next Monday.

FQS Designer Mystery BOM - Block 12

WHOO HOOO!!!! Did you here that from wherever you are? You must have because of how excited I am to finish these blocks.

The 12th and final block in the FQS Designer Mystery BOM (2010) is finished!  Now this one actually looks like an ornament, not a Chinese lantern.

Now to work on the sashing and pieced border...

FQS Designer Mystery BOM - Block 11

And block 11 is finished.  Just one more to go after this.

I love the uneven bow in this block.  I think it adds character.  I wouldn't really associate a basket with Christmas, more Easter, but it's still cute. 

One more to go (oh, wait, i already said that...)

FQS Designer Mystery BOM - Block 10

I finally got back to working on the FQS Designer Mystery BOM after a few weeks off and finished block 10.

I love this block.  I think the elves ice skating are so cute here, and the bow is adorable.

Now to finish block 11 and 12...

Designer Mystery BOM - Block 9

Whew, I'm on a roll.  I not only finished block 8 of the Fat Quarter Shop's designer mystery BOM, I finished block 9 too.  This one is supposed to be two matching ornaments, but i think it looks more like two Chinese lanterns.

Can I keep this momentum up?  I certainly hope so. 

Designer Mystery BOM - Block 8

Yet another BOM that I'm way behind on.  Okay, so I'm not AS far behind on this one as I am on the Radian Star BOM.  I made block 8 last weekend.  This one is a gingerbread house.  I think it turned out cute. 

I'm still totally in love with this fabric line and this quilt.  Well, I'm in love with every one of Kate Spain's fabric lines.  They're all so awesome. 

Simply Radiant BOM - January

As I was preparing to teach the BMQG paper piecing, I was looking for just the right pattern that didn't have too many pieces, needed to be pieced together to show how to join two paper pieced blocks, and had different angles to show how to take care in lining up the fabrics.  I decided on the January BOM from Carol Doak's Simply Radiant Star BOM.  I hadn't made this block, but it appeared to be the easiest block out of the bunch.  It would be perfect.

Here's my finished block.  I really like how it came out.  As I was preparing and picking out fabrics I decided that I needed a block with red as the dominant color.  I think this works well.

Here are all seven blocks so far.  See why I thought I needed another block with red as the focus color?

I put this aside for a while, but I'm going to TRY to pick it back up again and get a few more blocks done.  All of the patterns have been posted for the quilt, I just need to finish them all.