American Beauty - BOM

The local quilt shop in town ran a "block-of-the-month" in 2010 called American Beauty. I bought the blocks every month & the finishing kit in December - but I didn't make ANY of the blocks. Not in 2010.

My friend, Donna, has made one - but I can't find it on her blog.

anyway......all the blocks are made with templates. TEMPLATES! Ugh! Do you know how long it's been since I used templates? ACtually, I can't remember that I ever did - but it's possible. Let's just say, I KNOW I have not made a quilt with templates in OVER 13 years. Yes, 13.

QB1 & I needed a project to "do" on our Thursday night get-to-sew-play-date. And since SHE bought the BOM too - I figured it would be a good choice.

So today, Sunday, QB1 sends me a text & asks if I want to sew? SURE ! (course I was still in the bed when she sent the text...bless her!) So I brought my American Beauty blocks & my pineapple to sew the binding on. I suggested we use the A/B BOM to sew on Thursday's & we got busy.

Below you will see the 2 blocks that I finished today. It took us 5 hours to do 2 blocks. Can you imagine??? 5 hours???? It took longer to cut out the pieces than it did to sew. Black & white instructions are not as helpful as they could be. It would have been MUCH MORE helpful to have them in color. But we did it.

Let me tell you. My blocks ARE every bit as wonky as they appear. I'm hoping they'll lay more flat when they're set in sashing. Maybe? If they don't, well.........I know this long arm quilter that will use some really dense pattern to "quilt-it-out" !! Tee-Hee, it's ME !!!




The BOM had the option of using a dark finishing kit or a light finishing kit. QB1 is doing hers in the light. I am doing both. BOTH ? Well yeah. I'm not doing just ONE you know! Not me! I'm doing 2!!! Don't ask me why.......I thought I could make one for each of my daughters, or one for each of my sisters. But in the end, I just don't know. We'll have to see how the quilts speak to me. Either way (dark or light) they are pretty girlly. Very girlly. Even Prince Charming mentioned so.

I don't think Donna had nice things to say about making hers with templates either.

Oh! I need to tell you about the 2011 BOM! It's called "Baltimore Christmas" by P3 Designs. 100% applique.

I think I bit off more than I can EVER chew. I am totally intimidated.The appique pieces are teeny tiny. And there are miniature buttons & mini rick-rac...I think I need to give up leaving work during lunch & just sit at the conference table & applique. Oh! ALSO....I have agreed to "do" a Dear Jane quilt too. (I need to tell Chernal yes that me & QB1 will participate...) I just love being busy. I do! Keeps me lively.

Sam