Happy New Year- happy new projects?

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)

What’s New?

If you have been a fan of Quilting Quickly magazine, you may be wondering why it’s no longer on the newsstands. It is still there... just under a new name. It’s undergone a bit of a makeover, and will now focus on the use of pre-cuts. Its new name is Pre-Cut Patchwork. New title, same great content. You should be able to find the Jan./Feb. 2019 issue on the newsstand now.



CQA/ACC is running a block of the week, beginning in the new year. “50 Blocks - 50 Weeks.” Each Tuesday, beginning January 15, a new pattern for a 6” block will be released. on the CQA/ACC website. They won’t be hard blocks, and they’ll be fun! No cost - all free! No need to sign up, just visit the website each Tuesday. Why not plan to join in the fun?
https://canadianquilter.com/

For you Kaffe Fasset fans, watch for the new Kaffe Fasset Collection of Aurifil threads from our friend Karen Neary.  You guessed it - it includes 12 of the scrumptious colours that Kaffe is known for. Now in stock on Karen’s site at https://squareup.com/store/sew-karen-ly-created-dot-dot-dot/
Scroll to the bottom of her site to see other new thread collections now in stock. They're all yummy...




Registration for Quilt Canada, taking place in Ottawa June 12-15, opens for CQA members on Jan. 7 and on Jan. 28 for the general public. All info on the conference can be found by clicking here.

BOMs and BOWs

Have you ever done a BOM or a BOW? That's a Block Of the Month, or Block Of the Week...

In January, Jeanne Kaye our own energizer bunny, showed us her 2018 BOW quilt- all finished! Being the speedy quilter she is, she couldn't bear to sew only one block per week, for the entire year, (the same block each week) so she finished it up in jig time, adding heart appliqués to the snowball blocks. This sew along is organized by Darlene D'Eon of A Needle Pulling Thread quilt shop in Digby. NS.

Gail M. sent a link a few weeks ago for a free Christmas BOM called Gnome for the Holidays (shown at left.) The patterns are posted on the first of each month and remain free to download for that month. (If you miss a month, you can purchase the block.) So if you were "on the fence" you'd better act quickly for the first free block pattern will only be available for one more day.. Click here:
http://www.fatcatpatterns.com/bom2.html







If you're interested in a sampler blocks style of BOW, the Temecula Quilt Company is hosting an 1880 Sampler BOW Sew Along - block instructions are posted each Friday, and the blocks are 4" finished. The finished sampler will be roughly 40" x 48". It began on Feb. 2, so you only have four blocks to catch up on! I'm thinking of doing this one. Anyone care to join me? Click here for the first five posts, most recent is first, so scroll down for the first post which explains the project.






It's a Wild Life BOM has various quilters designing a block for their designated month, beginning in February. Again, hustle to get the February pattern (a maple leaf block.) 








EDIT, March 2... Let's Go Camping! I just found another free BOM online, and this one is a Mystery project, i.e. you won't know what the whole thing will look like until the end. Each month you get free block instructions but how it all will come together will not be revealed until the last month. This one is hosted by Pat Sloan, you may be familiar with her or have one/many of her books. She is using a camping theme, but of course you can choose whatever fabric you like. Check it out here. Block 3 was just posted yesterday, simply scroll down for the previous two blocks. Or use the link at beginning of this paragraph where the free pattern downloads are, at www.freequiltpatterns.info. The blocks will finish at 12" and will be set on point for a 64" square quilt. Pat is a great teacher and offers many tips and hints (and fun stories too!) to help you along. Aaaand... there is a monthly prize drawing for those participants who share a photo of their finished block. Now who doesn't love the chance to win a prize?!!

Just received my Fabricville flyer...  March is Quilting Month, and all quilting accessories will be on sale, 25-40% off, March 5-27. This includes Olfa and Clover products, also Gütermann threads will be 40% off... Just sayin'...

Happy Sewing....