March UFO, and Probably April and May too

Now that my green Don't Fence Me In quilt is a finish, I thought I had better stick to my goals and pick a UFO to work on for March. As I went through my bins of UFOs, I came to a halt when I saw my red blocks from the Lori Holt/Bee In My Bonnet Red Sampler Quilt Sew Along. That was it, for sure. I checked my notes and figured I was on Week Nine. I got out my fabrics and stitched away happily on the three blocks for that week. 

Then I thought it would be nice to lay all the blocks I'd made so far out on the design wall and enjoy them all together in their red wonderfulness.

Oops. So, not on Week Nine. Yes, friends, this is what happens when you set aside a project for a year or more. You get all mixed up and don't know where you are. Darn it. Clearly, I need to go through all the blocks I have made so far and figure out where I am. 

I did make this little guy though, and he is as cute as can be. I was supposed to have made him for an earlier week, but as I recall I was having trouble finding the instructions. Lori said the center block was from her Granny Square book, but she made it in a different size and then added star points so everything finished at a 6 inch block. Ok. That took some research and watching her YouTube tutorial and figuring out that she was using 1 1/2 inch pieces instead of the 2" ones in her book, and I needed 2 x 3 1/2" flying geese...You see what I mean. It came out great in the end though. If any of you are confused as I was as to how the heck to make this block, email me and I will tell you the measurements of all the pieces. 

Here's what they call the "beauty shot". Look at all those pretty blocks. After seeing how cute they are, if you are inspired to make this quilt, the instructions are on Lori Holt's Bee In My Bonnet website, all organized and everything, week by week. You do need at least three of her books to make the blocks though. 

She also has YouTube videos showing her progress. And Fat Quarter Shop has a fat quarter bundle of Lori's reds to get you started. It seems like a good deal for $65.

So there you are. I will get myself up to speed on this project and look forward to sharing my progress with you. It is a sixteen-week sew-along (you make several blocks a week in 12" and 6" sizes) and I figure I am at least half way done. 

Comments

[Mary]

I made this! I didn't have one of Lori's books, but it was easy to substitute the same size block just searching my library or the web. I get in the rut of thinking I need to do the exact same blocks, but I see now that my quilt is every bit as cute as Lori's. Your placement of blocks is beautiful.

[Nancy B]

Love LOVE this. Blocks look great. My red and white done years ago was embroidery.

[Sandra]

Your red and white blocks just sparkle! It’s always a challenge to figure out where you left off when a project has been resting for awhile. Don’t Fence Me In is a great quilt, the greens are wonderful! I need to get a monochromatic quilt started. Thanks for sharing! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️

[Marie]

Your 'beauty shot' really is a beauty - love all those reds together. It will be wonderful!

[Debbie R.]

Those blocks — and reds — really are glorious!

[Jan]

You're well on your way toward finishing this one! The arrangement on your design wall looks beautiful! Save the extra blocks for the back or a throw pillow...they're too pretty to waste. Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️

[Ina]

damn. 2 beautiful orphan blocks. I swear, you must work those in somehow. They are too beautiful to abandon.

I made a red and white quilt as a bday gift for a very dear friend. still haven't made one for myself. ;p

[Kathy]

I made this and finished in December. I did not use Lori's fabric but it still looks great. I love the the way Lori reuses her books. Yours looks great.

[Lisa D.]

So you really made the same months' blocks twice? Yes, the perils of putting a project aside for too long. Your red and white sampler is going to be stunning! I love the newest block and then seeing them all together! You are making such great progress on your UFOs.