Have you signed up for Bonnie Blue Quilts' new Cotton Club Block of the Month yet? Make sure to sign up soon since it starts in September!
I had so much fun sewing all 45 of the 5" quilt blocks featured in the quilt!
And it only took me one week to complete them all!
I found the best part of this club to be the uniqueness of each block! I can't wait to spend the upcoming weekend completing the entire quilt so I can add another beautiful quilt to my collection!
Now we'd like to welcome Paula Barnes of Bonnie Blue Quilts to the Jolly Jabber as she tells us about the process and inspiration behind her and Mary Ellen Robison's beautiful Block of the Month design!
As I was trying to think of a fun block of the month concept for Marcus Fabrics, I recalled a class that I taught many years ago at a local quilt store called Century Cotton Club. It was a year-long class and we made 5" blocks each month. It was so much fun piecing all the tiny little blocks! For the block of the month program, I knew I wanted something that was a little different and 5" blocks fit the bill perfectly!
Looking back on the class, I remember how scared some of my students were of tackling such small blocks, but don't worry, they quickly learned that piecing a small block is not much different than piecing a large block. You need an accurate 1/4" seem allowance, thin pins and a little spray starch or sizing at the end of piecing the block.
The layout for the quilt was inspired by an antique quilt from the early 1800's. It was different than a block to block or sashed quilt setting and I knew it would work well for the tiny little blocks that we were planning to make. Once the concept for the quilt had been decided, designed a fabric collection to make our quilt came next.
I have a large collection of antique quilts and vintage fabrics and i have been saving this particular red and brown border print for just the right project. It just so happens that my favorite color combination is red and brown (or brown with just about any other color, as a matter of fact.) It's funny, we have a saying at Bonnie Blue Quilts, "We've never met a brown we didn't like." And so the color scheme was set!
Now, knowing that the blocks were going to be small, the coordinating prints also had to be small in scale. I chose prints in brown and red and, of course, who can make an antique inspired quilt without shirtings?
Mary Ellen and I have tried to put together a quilt that will be a family heirloom to be passed sown from generation to generation. We hope you and your family will enjoy it as much as we do!
Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robison
Bonnie Blue Quilts
