It's so very fall-like out!
Such a great day to sit out on the patio at a coffee shop,
though soon I'll be sitting at the sewing machine I'm sure.
Today I'm sharing my blocks for the Seeing Stars QAL.
It is week 5 and so far I'm staying right on schedule.
As I said, it is rainy so after 24 hours, I gave up and took
a pic on our front porch. That's as good as the natural
light was going to get!
These blocks had me thinking...
(here's the part where I get chatty--it's the caffeine!)
One of the greatest things about BOMs and QALs is how they can break us
out of our molds to do techniques and/or styles we wouldn't normally choose.
In week 3 we did curves--something I tend to stay away from because...
well, I'm not sure the reason. I think I mostly like straight, defined lines but
yet I really like designs such as the double wedding ring and orange peels.
This week we did improv, or wonky, stars.
I mostly like perfect points and traditional blocks
but wouldn't a Halloween or child's quilt, for examples, look
so much more fun and whimsical with things a little amuck?
In the kitchen I love to try new techniques and foods.
My kids have few favorite dishes among "Mom's Cooking" because
I'm always trying new recipes, but what I have given them
all are very well-developed and mature palates.
When we go out to eat, I'm after unique flavor combos.
"Surprise my taste buds, please" is my motto.
When it comes to quilting, I'm a little more conservative
but throwing in a QAL or BOM here and there
can have me creating from a different angle, sometimes
it's a new one, or maybe it's one I re-discover
and realize it's now more fun than I remember.
Back when I had moved past being a new quilter, I still had so
so much ahead of me. It was time to feel out my style, tastes, etc.
I remember that flying geese were something that hadn't really
appealed to me at that point. But I had many scraps and had found a
flying geese quilt in a Thimbleberries book that was a great scrap buster.
After greatly enjoying making hundreds of "geese", I grew to love them.
I even ended up making two of those quilts!
Later I made this one:
And, more recently, this one:
There is a lesson I've learned over and over in quilting--
sometimes it's in the making of a specific
block or design that will endear it to you.
These days I like to join a QAL or BOM here and there mainly for
scrap or stash busting but they can be good, especially for new
quilters, for expanding knowledge, talent and experience.
They can also keep us motivated if we're in a
bit of a slump and they can keep you on schedule--BOMs
are a great way to get Christmas gifts made throughout the year.
And that is my random plug for QALs and BOMs! :o)
Do you have experience with either or both?
Are you working on any QALs or BOMs now?
Linking up to Happy Quilting's Seeing Stars QAL.
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