If it involves fabric and thread, I can usually figure it out. I have sewn a lot of things, from napkins to costumes to quilts. And over the last 6 years, I’ve made a lot of block-of-the-month quilts. Some of the programs are a few months long, some last a year.

And here’s why I do that. It’s almost become a practice for me.

The first time I joined a block-of-the-month program at my local quilt shop, Cosmic Cow, in Lincoln, Nebraska, I hadn’t sewn much for a couple of years. I was homeschooling, building an online business, teaching piano, and making soy candles, plus just living life. And my sewing room sat quiet most of the time, except when I had a costume to make or some specific project needed my attention.

So, I joined the block-of-the-month that the quilt shop was starting. And I loved it. Here are a few benefits that I’ve noticed in the last 6 years.

1. It gives me a project that I don’t have to make decisions for. I only get the pattern and the fabric needed for that month’s block or blocks.

2. I don’t get overwhelmed by complex patterns because of number 1.

3. I’ve completed several quilts that are more complicated than I would have chosen otherwise.

4. Skills. Having a block-of-the-month in the works, helps me work on my piecing skills.

5. Most of the block-of-the-month quilts that I’ve done are more traditional, or have traditional blocks in modern settings. Because I want my modern quilts to be better in technical aspects, sewing traditional quilt blocks helps me work on those skills.

6. Colors. If left to my own devices, I typically choose similar fabrics all the time. The block-of-the-month quilts, have the fabric already chosen, so I end up using fabrics and fabric lines that I might not have chosen, which opens up my mind to other possibilities and combinations.

Those are a few of the benefits I noticed from doing block-of-the-month quilt programs.

Sometimes I do get behind, way behind, and will have months of packets stacked, waiting for me. That happens because sometimes I’m like a pinball in my sewing room, going from making a dress to making a quilt, to quilting a quilt, back to making a bra, and then making bags or dolls. It makes my crazy sewing world interesting and one that inspires and encourages me to always be creating something.

The quilt that I shared on my Instagram feed last night, and have shared for a few days in a row, is one such quilt, that I lagged behind on. Just the cutting of the blocks each month took a long time, and I would put that off and do something more fun. But, I’m determined to get the Bristle Creek Farmhouse quilt block-of-the-month, that I started in 2017, pieced before the end of my 55th birthday month.

Yes, my birthday is over. But, the month isn’t! I’ve made a lot of things this month; several zipper pouches, a couple bags, a quilt, a dress, a shirt, some cloth buckets…I’ve used my extra time at home, creating.

To see that quilt, go to Instagram. If all goes well today, and I’m not in town too long, this quilt top will be finished!

Time to go do my workout, check in on my groups, and make a menu plan of sorts, because I’ve been pretty slack in that department lately!

Your friend,
Anne Dovel