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 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 5

Welcome to month five of the Kaleidoscope Block of the Month! I have to say, I'm loving how quick all of these blocks are coming together. An hour or so in my studio and I can have a block done. I love projects like that where I can spend a short amount of time sewing and see great results. With work being extremely busy right now, I need more of those projects in my life.

The first block this month is really fun and different than some of the other blocks we've done. It definitely has a more geometric feel to it than other blocks. Those of you that know my style know that I love some good geometric elements.

The second block for month five is super simple yet dramatic. I'd love to see someone use a great fussy cut print in the dark teal here. It's a larger piece compared to many of the other blocks we've made, so it's perfect for showcasing a fun print. Or, if there's one color that you love and want to highlight, this is the place to do it. There's no coincidence that teal is my favorite color and it's highlighted the most here.

Download the block on Craftsy today to join along. Don't forget to use the hashtag, #kaleidoscopeBOM and share your creations!

Check out the previous months too:
Month 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 2

Where did January go? It feels like I just introduced the Kaleidoscope BOM a week or two ago and we're already launching month two.

Month two has some really awesome blocks in it. This first block would be amazing repeated in a quilt. I'd be interested in seeing the movement that the light teal would work that way. As just a single block, I feel like I'm on Space Mountain at Disney World, just zooming into space. 

The second block for this month is a bright and cheery star kaleidoscope block. I really like how the white background intersects the orange star in this block to give it a great effect. I love star blocks that are framed up, and the use of the same color of fabrics in two different tones really has a nice effect here. 

I can't wait to see what you make with these blocks. If you want to participate in the BOM, download the blocks on Craftsy here. Don't forget to hashtag your blocks using #kaleidoscopeBOM. 

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. 

Sew-vivor Season 2: Round 1 Entry - Sunrise Delight

I'd like to introduce you to my entry in the Sew-vivor Competition Season 2: Round 1: Sunrise Delight

Check out my quilt below and hop on over to Family Ever After and vote for your favorite project (wink, wink, nudge, nudge -- Mine maybe?).  And if you're looking to make your own version of Sunrise Delight, check out my Craftsy store where I have posted a pattern for this quilt.

This quilt reminds me of a beautiful sunrise with the soft butter yellow background and the early morning pink sky before the rich sky blue and earthy greens emerge. The sound of that just makes me happy.

I designed this paper pieced quilt pattern after being inspired by all sorts of kaleidoscope quilts in cyber space. But, like most things that I do, I couldn't just leave this as a simple kaleidoscope, I needed to add my own twist. So, I altered the diamonds or the tips of the stars to add more interest. I created my own paper pieced pattern and went to town.

For this round of the competition, we had to use emerald green - the Pantone color of the year.  As I designed this quilt, I knew I wanted to use the Lizzy House Pearl Bracelets in Emerald.  After going to multiple shops that carry Lizzy House, I couldn't find that print and I didn't have enough time to order it online.  I settled for the Kelly Green Remix print by Ann Kelle instead.  Most of us had a hard time finding a true emerald green, so it was decided that any shade of green would be acceptable for this challenge.

I was fortunate to have  the Boston Modern Quilt Guild retreat last weekend, which enabled me to spend time making this.  And boy was I determined to make this quilt during the retreat.  I started cutting and sewing the first day and put the final stitch on the binding (by hand, no less) at 1:00am that morning (or should I say, the following morning). I think I worked on this quilt for about 15-18 hours straight, stopping only to have a quick lunch and dinner. After retreat, I swung by my parent's beach house and took these pictures.

I machine quilted this quilt in a concentric circle.

I picked this quilting pattern for three reasons.

1. I have wanted to do this on a quilt for a while now and this seemed like the perfect quilt to do it.
2. I had limited time to get this project completed - less than a week! An all over quilting design was the only option if I had any chance of finishing on time.
3. I wanted to highlight the secondary design that was created when all of the blocks were pieced together - the circle shape.

This quilt measures 36" x 36" square. There are nine paper pieced blocks and a total of 200 different pieces in this wall hanging.

For the back, I went with a Joel Dewberry Chestnut Hill print I got on sale that had the same beautiful rich blue and soft yellow.  For the binding, I went with the same Navy from Simply Color by V & Co.

Quilt Stats:
Pattern: Sunrise Delight by Jen Sorenson (me!)
Finished Size: 36" x 36"
Fabric Used: Kona Cotton, Remix, Oval Elements, Simply Color and Lucky Penny, Chestnut Hill
Thread: So Fine #50 517
Batting: Warm and Natural