First block done!

Here's the first (center) block of my new Mystery Block-of-the-Month quilt, Bohemian Bouquet, finished.

Quilters Loft Company, the quilt shop where I teach in Mooresville, N.C., will be offering this quilt as a kit (with the patten and fabric) each month. The starting session will be a class on Saturday, Jan. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon. The price for the pattern with the fabric kit will be $19.99 per month (January through November). Quilters Loft will also have the patterns available on their own, in case you want to choose your own fabrics.

If you live farther away and want to order fabric kits, please call Quilters Loft Company at (704) 662-8660. If you just want the patterns, they are now available for preorder on my website, www.bluemoonriver.com. The price is $5 per block, or $55 for the entire set (plus shipping). The first block pattern will ship by Jan. 15, 2008.

I am doing my blocks using needleturn appliqué, but if you want something faster and easier, you could do fusible appliqué with satin or blanket stitch around the appliqué pieces. This center block is 20 inches square, so even though it looks intricate in the photo, the shapes are actually large, and the corners rounded. I do recommend that you have some experience with appliqué if you want to do it as needleturn. These patterns will be rated intermediate to challenging.

To see the layout for the entire quilt, see my October 13 post. The colors and fabrics shown in this photo are representative of the fabrics and colors I'll be using in the rest of the quilt. I'm planning to use a lot more fabrics, and it will be quite "scrappy," with some additional colors (blues and purples).