Love Letters Block of the Month

Truly, I am in love – giddy, fully head over heels in love! What has brought on my adrenaline rush and my heart palpitations, you might ask? What else but an exquisite quilt I just received back from my fabulous longarm quilter. And it seems to be having that effect on everyone who sees it. But let me start at the beginning….

I volunteered to make this quilt, Love Letters Block of the Month by Sherri Falls for This & That, because Kimberly likes to have each block of the month quilt tested before it is passed on to you. I soon had the pattern and the wonderful fabric, Etchings by 3 Sisters for Moda, in hand. I was immediately drawn to the design elements in the quilt, and I am quite the fan of 3 Sisters fabrics. So I anxiously and carefully laid out each of the fabrics and realized that three of them were wovens, which I had not ever used before….but more about that later.

Each of the 6 blocks is duplicated to yield 12 blocks, so I cheated a little and started on the block which was my favorite. By the time I had done some chain piecing and had the first two blocks together, I could hardly wait to get started on the next. I did get to know the woven fabric quite well, as it is used in every block and also in the borders. I learned very quickly that the woven fabric is very stretchy and likes to be handled with care. My tip to you as you use the woven fabrics - use your spray starch very liberally. This will stiffen the fabric enough to aid in precise cutting and will stabilize the cut pieces which have bias edges.

As I continued from block to block, what started as a fondness for the design began to blossom into full blown affection. Each fabric had its own story, especially the script prints with words taken from actual letters written generations ago. At last, I was ready to join the blocks into rows with the script print sashing strips. By the time I reached the pieced outer border, affection had been replaced by a strong emotional connection. The red plaid triangles accentuate the blocks and add the endearing final signature to this one of a kind love letter.

Join us in this 6 month block of the month program – you, too, will be writing your own Love Letters!