Happy New Year! Hope you enjoyed a restful and relaxing Christmas break,
and feel refreshed and re-energized to tackle exciting new quilting
projects this year. Just a reminder, registration for Quilt Canada 2019
in Ottawa is now open for CQA/ACC members. Click here for info on registration.
Are you participating in any Sew Alongs, Block of the Week or Month programs? CQA's Block of the Week starts next Tuesday, Jan. 15. More info here.
Darlene D'Eon of Nova Scotia has just released the instructions for her 5th Annual 52 Week Quilt Block Challenge. This year's block is the Jewel Box, great for using up scraps and leftovers; instructions are found here. The block is easy, using 2 four patches and 2 HST's, and finishes at 8". Darlene encourages everyone to share their finished blocks on Facebook or Instagram, using the hashtag #52weekquiltblockchallenge.
Sindy at Fat Cat Patterns has TWO new free BOM's underway. Both started this month and the January blocks are now available. For you gnome lovers, she is offering Gnome Grown with ten appliqué blocks, running until October (pictured at left). Yardage and cutting instructions, and the first month's block are available here.
The other is called Hen Party, also ten appliqué blocks running until October (seen at right). Block instructions are free for the month they are offered, after that there is a small fee per block.Yardage and cutting instructions,and the first block are available here.
Cindy at Quilt Doodle Doodles is offering a free BOM called Garden Sunshine. You can find the first month's block instructions here. For those of you who enjoy a variety of techniques, this might be fun as it combines piecing with either appliqué or embroidery- your choice!
Pat Sloan is offering a free Mystery BOM called Out of This World which is all patchwork and will run for 10 months, Jan. - Oct. As you might guess, it has a space theme.
Read all about it here.
Pat is also offering a free Block a Week Sew Along on Wednesdays, on a garden theme: A Flower Bouquet runs from Jan. - May. The blocks are traditional pieced blocks. Find all the info here.
EDIT Jan. 11... Here's another free BOM. For you fans of wool work and Buttermilk Basin, they are beginning a new Mystery BOM today called "Happy Holidays." I'd say it's a headstart on Christmas 2019! There will be a new block offered on the second Friday of each month for 11 months. The centre will consist of 9 wool appliquéd blocks, followed by a wool appliqué section with borders that will finish into a quilt. As with most BOM's you must click and print off the pattern in the month it's offered BEFORE the next block is released. Click here for instructions and the first month's pattern.
I'm sure there are many other free BOM's and Quilt Alongs out there, please let me know if you are aware of, or participating in, others that I could add to this list. The more the merrier!
To finish with a chuckle, I bet many of us can identify with this... (found on Facebook)
