Block of the Month Win

My guild hosts an optional block of the month activity where members can purchase a mini-kit which contains a one page pattern and all the fabrics precut to make one quilt block. The following month those who made a block enter their names in a drawing, once per block. Some members make more than one block if they are ambitious or really like that particular month's offering and so want multiple chances. A name is pulled and the winner gets to take home the blocks and assemble them into a quilt. Last month I finally got around to assembling the blocks I had won from the June 2017 contest. From June 2017 until May 2020... it only took me three years.

I arranged the sixteen blocks, aiming to distribute the strongest colors, the hot pink and the deep navy, evenly throughout. This is my result.

It only measures 32" x 32", too small for my guild's minimum guideline, 35" x 36", for an infant sized community quilt. Had I been more alert I would have simply added a border all around. But I did not. I guess it will become a table topper or a doll blanket for my own grandkids. One benefit of the small size though, was that it was a handy palette for practicing my FMQ. I dare to be less timid and used a pale blue thread on white for the stitching. I chose a bright geometric backing from my stash and a mottled blue/green fabric for the binding.

There is no fancy label, merely a subtle printing of my initials DIC and the year 2020 written in two lower corners of the front. Hmmm... that turquoise blue pigment pen is perhaps too subtle. I may darken it. Since I only made four of these blocks, I hesitated to take credit for this completion. But when I saw it in my previous post about displaying quilts, I decided it needed a small explanation. Besides after my posts about FMQing my quilt Fifty Shades of Taupe (6/7/20 and 6/16/20), I acknowledge that assembling the quilt top is not always the bulk of the work. Sandwiching, FMQing, and binding take a lion's share of the time to finish a quilt. For this one, I did compromise by attaching the binding to the back, wrapping it forward, and machine stitching it on the front. Aah... 100% complete!