They’re Here!

Back in February I signed up to participate in a block swap with the participants over at Patchwork Possee. Our assignment was to make twelve blocks using the courthouse square pattern. All twelve blocks were to be mailed to the coordinator. Returned to you would be one of your own blocks along with eleven other blocks from the participants.

Courthouse Square.jpeg

To make my blocks I searched and searched through my fabric scraps and stash to find colors of fabric to meet the swap’s criteria. The assigned color pallet were fabrics in the jewel tone color theme. After exhausting my available options I decided to take a trip to a local quilt shop. I came home with a great group of fabrics.

With very little effort I had my required 12 Courthouse Steps blocks stitched together and ready to mail. After dropping off my package I went home to write a post about my experience.

The center stage of the post was supposed to be the photos I had taken of the squares before I mailed them. Before sitting down to write I searched through my computer, camera, iPad, and iPhone looking for those photos. My search came up empty handed.

I was so disappointed. How could I have forgotten to document my finished project? Well, since I had no photos to share I decided to postpone the post until my share of the group’s collection arrived.

The day I had been anxiously awaiting finally arrived. I had made it a point to walk out to our mailbox as I saw our letter carrier heading to our home. She’s a very sweet lady that goes above and beyond her duties to make our mail delivery a pleasant experience. Often she walks our mail up to our door rather than placing it in the box and the curb. Our letter carrier is retiring soon so I thought it would be nice to take advantage of the opportunity to talk for what might be our last chance.

As she handed the mail out of her car window I noticed there was a Priority Mail envelope included in the stack. There’s only one thing that could possibly be coming via that method and that was my swap blocks. I quickly flipped through the stack to find out if I was right and I was.

My husband and I were supposed to be leaving for lunch, in fact he was waiting in the car, but I just couldn’t wait to find our what was inside. With my package in hand I headed inside the house to tear open the package.

As I reached in my fingers met with the plastic bag containing my blocks. I pulled out the bag, unzipped the closure and slid out the folded blocks. One by one I thumbed through and laid them out. How very interesting were their combined color combinations, as well as sizes.

While all blocks were to be 9 1/2″ square, not all of them were. I wasn’t at all surprised because of my experience making the four Hurricane Sandy Quilts. The blocks for those quilts came from all over the world. They too were not consistent in size. The majority of the blocks I received had an attached label identifying who made the block and where they were from. Among the states or countries contributing to my package were

  • Ottawa, Ontario Canada
  • Richland, Michigan
  • Texas
  • Sidney, Nebraska
  • Vinemont, Alabama
  • Rockmart, Georgia
  • Austin, Minnesota
  • York, South Carolina
  • Chinook, Montana
  • Newport, North Carolina
  • Southern California

I carefully pressed each block to remove any wrinkles resulting from their journey then spread them out to take photos. Here’s what I received.

Block Swap

My job now is to take the 12 blocks and turn them into something pleasing to my eyes. As I make progress on this project I will bring you updates.

Cindy Anderson of In A Stitch Quilting

 

And Again!

I belong to the online quilt guild called Patchwork Posse. You can find a link to their website here. I first talked about them here.

Patchwork Posse Quilt Guild

Patchwork Posse issued an invitation to its members way back in January to join a block swap. Each participant was to make 12 9 1/2″ squares using the pattern Courthouse Steps. Following their specific guidelines the blocks are to be finished and mailed by the end of March.

I bet you’ve already guessed what I’m going to confess.

That’s right, I have signed up to participate. I know, I know, I know! You’re very right! I already have more than enough on my plate but I figure what’s the harm.

So, here goes…

Cindy Anderson of In A Stitch Quilting

Online Quilt Group

Finding Time

If you are like me, it’s very hard to find time to regularly attend monthly quilt guild meetings. Six months out of the year I spend the majority of my days at my Little Cabin In The Woods or visiting friends and relatives. Being away so often makes it darn near impossible to experience a monthly meeting.

Sweet Tooth Mini Quilt
Sweet Tooth Mini Quilt

On-Line Quilt Group

While reading a post from one of my favorite blogs, Canoe Ridge Creations, I found a link to an online quilt group. The group is organized and presented by Patchwork Posse. The structure is similar to that of a typical quilt group with one exception, it meets online.

Membership Includes

With your membership you get:

 

24/7 Access To:

  • group activities
  • patterns
  • topics
  • block of the month
  • sew-alongs
  • swaps, etc.
  • private Facebook group
  • community and forum

Great Way To

  • polish up your skills
  • meet new designers
  • share your accomplishments
  • find inspiration
To join or find more information follow this Patchwork Posse Quilt Group. The fee for membership is $35 per twelve month period.