One of two options is Fundamentals Block of the Month – Reproduction Fabrics is made with reproduction fabrics by Jo Morton and other designers.   The first month’s package is larger than the other months as it will include key fabrics that are used throughout the quilt, ensuring the same dye lot.  The next 10 months will continue with all the blocks. The last month will again be larger, containing the final blocks, sashings, borders and binding.  The only items not included will be the backing and the batting.

The second option is Fundamentals Block of the Month – Americana which is made with fabrics that represent the country spirit of America.  The first 11 months will be blocks and the last month will be larger, containing the final blocks, borders and binding.  

Both of these Block of the Month programs ship around the 5th of the month.  Choose you favorite fabrics and get started!

There are two colorways…

Border Blast Southern Skies

Border Blast Northern Lights

 

You can also choose between a queen size (96″ x 112″) or a large throw size (74″ x 90″).  The queen size has an additional finishing kit in month 12 for $47.95.

Each month you will receive your block pattern and all the fabrics needed for $16.95.  Easy enough to made just one block a month, right?  When you are finished you’ll just need to purchase backing and batting (even the binding is included in the kits!).  

But, each month, you will also recieve a bonus pattern for a wall hanging that uses that month’s block.   That’s 12 quilt patterns!   If you make each wall hanging each month you will have plenty of Christmas gifts ready for next Christmas with no pressure, just fun!   Or keep a few (or all of them!) and hang one or two in the bedroom that uses the quilt and you can change them every once in a while.  

The block of the month ships around the 3rd week of every month and is billed when shipped.   If “someone” hasn’t found the perfect gift yet and wants to get you a really nice Christmas gift, but not pay for it all at once…. this just might be it!

Or treat yourself!

Sunflower Hill is a country village of five Sunflower themed houses along with Sunflower and Crow applique blocks and a picket fence border.  The instructions are for machine piecing and fusible applique.   Quilt finishes at 70″ x 70″.  If you like country charm this is it! 

Lovebird Lane is just too cute!  (I’m currently working on two BOMs but I’m so very tempted to start this one also – I don’t think I’ll be able to hold out much longer!)  The pretty blue lovebirds go about their day busy with gardening, special deliveries, tea, and quilting.  The blocks and the pretty tulip border are easy piecing with no templates.  This one finishes at 72″ X 62″.

Both of these are six month projects.  Start now and you’ll be finished by Summer. 

Do you want to be kept busy a little longer?

Playtime is a nine month project…..

and Stars Around The Garden is also a nine month project.

Crazy about stars?  Star Light, Star Bright will have you starry eyed for 12 months.

And that’s not all - there are eleven more!  Check them out.

 

 

 

Dawn

or Dusk

 

You can also choose the size: a large lap quilt 72″ x 84″ or a queen size 96″ x 106″.   Each quilt has a village of ten homes along with trees, flowers and stars.  The queen size quilt has an extra border of stars between the two borders shown here.

Unlike other Block of the Month quilts which don’t matter when you start, the Thimbleberries will begin in January and continue through December of 2010.  So don’t miss out!

Here’s how it works.  Join the Thimbleberries Club.   Each month you will receive a pattern for a portion of the quilt along with all the fabric you will need for that portion.  The finishing kit will include the binding fabric; you will need to purchase the batting and backing separately.  Also included will be a pattern for a separate project.  Sometimes it will be a table runner, or a small quilt, or a wallhanging.  Something different each month.  Both of the patterns will be in one full color booklet with plenty of illustrations to make construction easy.  You will also receive a personal newsletter from Lynette Jensen of Thimbleberries.  Membership in the Thimbleberries Club entitles you to take advantage of special discount offers.

Bears at the Beach is a quilt that can be a family project.  It will look great on the wall or on a child’s bed and will be a great keepsake. 

Each square is first colored with crayons.  Then they are stitched with DMC thread.  The older kids might want to help with this.  Then it’s all put together to make a 53″ X 69″ quilt.  If you’re heading south for a vacation this winter, this might be a good project to take along.  If you have a rainy day you can still spend time ”at the Beach!”  

BFF – Dresses & Do’s uses a new technique called Swap-lique.  The appliques can be swapped and changed over and over.   Little girls will have so much fun with this quilt.  They can dress the best friends in different outfits, change their hair and give them different pets.  They might even want to get involved in searching through your scrap bags to find just the right fabric for the dresses. 

It finishes at 26″ X 41″ so it’s big enough to be a “lap quilt” for a little one when she’s not playing with it.   More patterns will be available in the future with more outfits and pets and accessories for everyday and for holidays.  What little girl wouldn’t love this quilt?

This next quilt is for the kid in you.  Don’t feel quite so enthused anymore about braving the cold to build a snowman?  Stay warm inside and build an entire collection of snowmen along with their friends. 

The Snowman Collector Block of the Month will keep you in snowmen all through the summer and you’ll be ready to cuddle under your finished quilt next winter.

Next time you browse through the quilt patterns at Quilters Warehouse have your kids sit with you so they can let you know what they like too.  Who knows, you may have a future quilter in your home!

What a great idea!  A new year - a new block of the month!

Add some whimsy to your world.  Angels Four All Seasons can be made as a large quilt 64″ X 80″  or make several wall hangings… one for each season.  Hang them as a grouping or hang just one and switch it for the season.

PlayTime would be a great one to start when there’s a new baby born to someone close to you.  It’s a nine month project so it’ll be ready for the baby’s first birthday.  Most BOMs have a bigger price tag on the last shipment because it includes the extra fabric needed for the borders and layout.  This one gets the big one out of the way right at the start.  The first month has a lot of fabric for the rest of the months so that the dye lot matches.  The blocks have lots of toys and some traditional blocks. 

If you’re itching to get started, Heart & Home ships around the 5th of the month.  You could be sewing this beautiful quilt by next week!  The colors are so pretty and romantic.  And no wonder – this quilt was made with the fabric line “Return to Romance” by Maywood Studio.  Start now and you’ll be finished by summer as this is a six month Block of the Month.

There are several more Block of the Month projects (18 in all!).  So instead of a New Year’s resolution, make a New Year’s “reservation” for a block of the month.  After you’ve done that, browse the rest of the quilt patterns and find a few projects to work on in between your BOM blocks.

If you are partial to pieced quilts, you’ll be mad about Plaid About You.  This simple quilt of nine squares can be made from any fabric of course but the plaid fabrics really make the quilt stand out.  Simple, quick, and stunning.  Finishing at 64″ X 85″ it’s the perfect size to throw over your special someone to say “I’m mad about you!” 

If applique is what you’re wanting to try, Chugging Along is a wall hanging with easy to follow directions.  This quilt would make a perfect new baby gift. You can personalize the gift by adding the baby’s name and birthdate in the border.

If paper piecing is your preference Bella Strella is a two-for-one pattern.  Instructions are included for a table runner and for a wall quilt.  It looks complicated (everyone will be sooo impressed – you too!) but it’s not that hard.   

  

And who could resist an ice cream quilt?! (Mmm, ice cream, my favorite food group!)  This quilt has a bit of everything… stitchery, piecing, applique.                                     

 

 

And wasn’t there mention of Block of the Month quilts?  There are FOUR!!!! of them…Thimbleberries Traditional is a pieced queen size with two color options – Light and Traditional.   Snowman Collector is an appliqued quilt with adorable snowmen.  Playing in the snow has never been so much fun.  Mrs. Potter’s Garden is a 6 month project. You can enjoy the flowers and think spring and summer all winter long as you work on it and summer will be here when you are finished.  And Heart & Home is a quilt that will warm your heart with pretty applique blocks, a beautiful border and gorgeous fabrics of pinks and greens.

 

 

There are many more quilt patterns, so when you are taking a break from your quilting browse through them and find your next project.

This is Block 1 from Month 2.  There are 8 half-square triangles, four hour-glass pieces and 13 squares.  Just a little bit more challenging than the first month.

And here is Block 2 from Month 2.  Another EASY block.  The instructions said to cut each piece but I strip-pieced the four square blocks and the rectangle blocks.  It worked just fine and saved some cutting and sewed up a little faster.

Block of the Month quilts really are fun. If you’ve never tried one now might be the time!  When you have several works in progress and feel like you aren’t getting anywhere you can do one of the blocks and you feel like you finished something because all you are supposed to do is one block!  It doesn’t get your other projects finished but it’ll give you a break and the incentive to get going again on a WIP.

One of the BOM’s that is available is Thyme to Water.  It ships on the 21st of each month and is a six month project.  Start now and it’ll be ready for next summer.  This quilt is mostly pieced with some applique and will finish at 69″ X 69″.

Feeling ambitious?  Garden Friends Block of the Month is another 6 month project.

 

Start it along with Thyme to Water and you’ll have two quilts finished come next summer.  You’ll have a head start on your decorating… these two quilts would look great hanging together… or artfully thrown over a chair or a couch.

There are lots more Block of the Month patterns from which to choose.  There is sure to be one (or more!) that will suit your fancy.

A few tips . . .

- As you follow the instructions and cut the pieces it’s helpful to cut a  small piece of each fabric and make a chart so you can keep track of which fabric matches which number in the instructions. 

- I found my fabric stacked in order, which made it easier to figure which was which (nice job, Sandy!) but don’t assume that it will always be that way . . . it’s easy enough to get them mixed up in the packing – or in the unpacking! 

- It’s helpful also to look at the color image as you check the fabric, as the darks in the gray scale drawing are not neccessarily the darks in the actual block. 

Block 2 is called Broken Dishes. It has 8 small half square triangles and 4 larger half square triangles and 8 squares.  It went together nearly as quick and easy as the first block.

The instructions say to cut the fabric for the half square triangles (HST) into squares and then in half diagonally and then sew the resulting triangles together.  I found that there was enough fabric to cut the squares a bit larger and draw a line diagonally from corner to corner, sew just under 1/4″ away from this line on either side, and then cut down the line.  This made two HST from each pair of squares and there were no bias edges to deal with while sewing.  Just be sure to make your seams a bit less than 1/4″ ’cause there’s not much wiggle room! and then trim the HST to the correct finished size (3″ or 3 1/2″ depending on which ones they are).

Each of these blocks finished at 12 1/2″ as will the rest of the blocks with the exception of the center block. 

If you are interested in starting the On Point Block of the Month don’t worry that you are too late.  You’ll receive the same set of blocks each month that everyone else gets and then you’ll start over until you have all of the months.  You can refer back to the posts for the earlier months when you get them.  Don’t forget to sent pics of your finished blocks so we can all “oooh” and “aaaah” over them.  Send them to kbrown@quiltersshowcase.com .  Oh, and be sure to have fun, and soak up the joy of completing such pretty blocks that will be part of a beautiful large quilt.