Hello SBAMQG!
Your former President, Chelsea, here! Why? Well, let me tell you!
In year’s past, former Presidents were made quilt blocks of their choosing by the guild to show member appreciation for their years of service. This idea seems grand until you’re the former president and you’re asking people to make you stuff in the middle of a pandemic, which feels sort of weird and uncomfortable, but here we are!
So as I retired, I was approached with a request for my plan and I began to plan or as some of you may know, agonize over my plan. This quilt block or that quilt block? This color scheme or that color scheme? I once had a near meltdown over choosing a bathmat in an attempt to redecorate. I don’t make decisions lightly. I don’t like to have extra stuff. I just want to have things I really LOVE (Marie Kondo takes credit for this, but I think I did it first). And this quilt was extra important to me because it was going to come from all of you.
And then the current board was like “Uh… a plan?” and I was like “Working on it!” And then another month went by and maybe another month and then COVID dropped on us like a bomb. While we’re still working through all our feelings about social inequality, quarantine and the how our pants don’t seem to fit quite right anymore, you can rest easy in the fact that I have made a plan!
The Plan: You will pick-up a kit consisting of one 3″ strip of chambray to make a scrappy 4-patch block using the color palette of this super fantastic vintage sheet I found for the backing. Each kit has enough fabric to make four 4-patches! If you used a different print for each square that would be super nifty!
- Fabrics I’d love to see: Small prints, stripes, dots, gingham, floral or anything that fits the vibe and color scheme of the sheet.
- Fabrics to avoid when making your 4-patch: Solids, solid like (Grunge, Essex linen, etc.) & Batiks
- Making the Patches: Sub-cut the 3″ strip into 3″ squares. Pair those together with fabrics from your stash to make a 4-patch as shown below.
- Pressing: If you’d press toward the chambray, I’ll happily nest my seams in the final quilt! Maybe even hand quilt it! I’m still in quarantine, anything is possible!
- Pick-Up/Return Details: Check out guild emails for details on when and where to grab your kits and return your blocks!
A Final Note: I just want to say, I really valued the four years that y’all allowed me to be your President. I enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you in a way I probably would not have in the general membership. Being President defined my identity for those years and led me towards creative opportunities like teaching sewing and quilting that I might not have explored otherwise. When I look at this quilt, I already know a little TV sitcom highlight reel will play in my head. Thank you for the highlights!
The Color Palette 
The Block
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