The Start of Spring

Ok sure it is not the official start of Spring but for me the month of  April is it: the start of a new season. The gateway to a world of new opportunities and fresh and exciting experiences. At least that is what I was feeling on the first of April.

But first, how about a picture of the wall hanging I started and finished in March.

The pattern is called the Windy Days Quilt. It is designed by Sarah Meyer of Sarah B Designs and is free on the Moda Bakeshop blog, just click here.

So back to my latest project.

So on Sunday, after a weekend of good fun spent with friends and an invigorating walk in dandelion filled meadows, my fingers were itching to start the new project I’ve been planning.

You may remember the 3 Dutch Rose blocks (the largest blocks) shown here in this picture. They were from a quilt I started working on at the beginning of the year and only recently abandoned.

Well together with a few other orphan blocks I’ve decided to make a sampler, of my own creation. That means lots of different blocks, all different sizes and in different layouts, not the typical grid or row sampler.

For this sampler, I ideally want to make a new block for every day of the month. Of course this is unrealistic, there are days when I absolutely cannot be in my sewing room. But I will try my best to make one per day, throughout the month of April.

Why the rush? You might ask.  Well I am just tired of watching everyone on instagram making all these amazing quilts. I want to challenge myself to make one block a day, so I learn new techniques and blocks and get rid of that fear that I have for trying new things, complicated things.

For the sampler I am using this little scrap of fabric, which I absolutely adore. It is called something like Antique …. Floral Collection,  but alas I am missing the rest of the selvedge.

I am so mad I didn’t by more of this fabric.

So it is early in the game, but how is my progress?

DAY 1: Sunday, April 2nd

The first block up is the Economy Block, also known as the Square Inside a Square block.

I am thrilled how it came out. I used yet another favorite fabric together with the feature fabric, this rasberry colored polka dotted fabrics. I just love polka dots.  I used this great tutorial from Amy Smart of the Diary of a Quilter blog.

Day 2: Monday, April 3rd

Next up was the equally basic block , the log cabin block. This came out terribly. I should have chosen a solid dark fabric, like the one in the tutorial, for the  center block, but I chose a stripey one. This seriously needs a do-over. But it will have to do for the moment.

Day 3: April 4th

Finally, today’s block, the Woven block. 

This block I am a bit unsure about too. I think it needs all dense colors to truly notice the weaving part. But again, it will have to do.

I am learning that using your scraps isn’t always easy. The background fabric is a bit dominant too, you might not notice though in this picture.

Another thing I wanted to share with you today is some purchases I made today.

I bought this mug which called out to me from the local stationers. I thought it perfect because it really represents the mood I am in these days.

Just as nice as the design itself is the message on the bottom of the cup. It’s from an Italian company.

In this picture you can also see the oil cloth table cloth that I splurged on, also from my favorite stationers store.

So hopefully I will be able to keep up the pace on my sampler quilt as well as keep you informed on my progress here on my blog.

So dear readers, do you have any wild and crazy plans, quilty or not,  for this April? If you have read this far, thank you so much! Have a great one!