This is month two of the Sew Kitschy Block of the Month (“BOM”), and I’m not sure why I’ve never done a BOM before! Sewing just one block per month is really easy (at least if you’re not participating in multiple groups!), and at the end of the year, you basically have an entire quilt top.
I re-worked last month’s block a tiny bit since I was lazy about lining up the last seam:
Still not perfect, but much improved.
My month 2 block came out much better, in my opinion. It’s a cookie jar. I’m going to embroider the word “cookies” on the jar once I select a font.
I’m also subscribed to the Lucky Stars BOM, but I haven’t selected the colors or fabrics for it. I am thinking I might just try to hammer out both years’ worth of blocks once they’re all released and see which strategy I like better. If you’ve had a favorite quilt-along, I’d love to hear about it.
I am SO excited that Kristy at Quiet Play is making her Sew Kitschy quilt block designs available for FREE as a block-of-the-month (BOM) quilt along. Check out details about the Sew Kitschy BOM here, or download the first pattern at her Craftsy site here.
I already traced (kind of) the blocks to create a coloring sheet so I can determine a palette for my blocks.
My plan for Sew Kitschy is to use bright colors. The only way I can justify starting a new project when I have so many pending is to use scraps or fabrics I bought solely to add to my stash. I am embarrassed how much money I spent on hobbies last year. I am even more embarrassed when I consider how few projects I finished. But no matter.
I even finished January’s block, an oven mitt and pot holder:
It was working great until the very last seam: the bottom of the oven mitt doesn’t line up exactly. I’m hoping it’s less noticeable once there are more blocks. I think the colors will look better together once there are more blocks, too.
While sewing this block, I also learned the important lesson that big prints are okay, but you shouldn’t use two prints with the same background color (e.g. white) side-by-side if a shape is supposed to emerge.
When I’m finished with all the blocks, I hope to make a lap quilt for my sister. How perfect a gift will this be for a pastry chef?! To make the gift more personal, I used some of the same fabrics for the January BOM block as the fabrics I used to make her a real oven mitt and potholders for Christmas!
I’ve only done one other paper piecing project so far, so I am especially looking forward to a new challenge. I am also looking forward to watching other quilters’ color selections. There’s still time to join the BOM!
My first sewing project was a quilt–an ambitious project considering I didn’t even know how to thread my sewing machine. I had intended it to be a baby blanket, much smaller in size. Then I started thinking how a small blanket would be outgrown quickly, so I expanded the idea, ensuring my [forced] position in the baby’s life forever!
With plenty of leftover fabric scraps at the end of Project 1, I found that for my second project, I could revisit the idea of a baby quilt. I found a more advanced block (than squares, so it’s not saying much) to challenge myself, made it big, then googled binding. (For my original quilt, I hired help. I don’t think my poor, tired sewing machine could have handled a big quilt.) Purl Bee had some great instructions!
East Dakota Quilter 
