January always marks the start of many new fun quilting projects. Below are those that I’ve found in the quilting blogosphere. Have fun trying something new and making new friends.
If you’re hosting a free event that I have not included, please add it to the comments below.
Swaps and Bees
I will be hosting a new swap here at the Quilting Gallery starting later this week. It will be a mini quilt swap and the theme is New Beginnings. Swap info will be posted on the Quilter’s Fun page. Sign up for my newsletter to get notified when registration starts.
From Samelia’s Mum the Name Game Swap. Hurry, registration closes Jan. 15th.
Stash Bee is being organized by Sunni Bolger of Love Affair with my Brother. The first bee block has been posted already.
Block Swap Adventure is an ongoing project. Accepts international members too.
Block of the Month (or Week) & Quilt-Alongs
Long-time followers here will know how much I love Erin Russek’s appliqué designs. This is her finished 2011 BOM, My Tweets. The free patterns are available for you to download until the end of January.
Here’s Erin’s free 2012 project for us all: Mimi’s Bloomers. The photo is the centre panel which one can purchase if they want. There will be 12 free blocks provided that coordinate with this centre along with finishing instructions. I’m really hoping to keep up with this project this year.
In 2011, Leah Day from The Free Motion Quilting Project, completed her 365 FMQ designs project. A truly remarkable initiative that she undertook to bring us so many wonderful options.
While one project ends, the sharing continues with Leah’s new Free Motion Quilt-Along project. I’m really looking forward to following this one.
Quokka Quilts is hosting a FMQAYGQAL – a free motion quilt-as-you-go quilt-along.
Learning how to do the traditional bargello technique becomes fun when you’re making some small items like placemats and a table runner. The quilt-along will be posted in 3 parts, part 1 released on 1/6/12 is all about choosing fabric, cutting strips and piecing your strip sets together to create your tubes. Part 2 will be about how to cut your strip sets, exercise the seam ripper and then sew the rows together. Part 3 will be finishing your bargello and some quilting ideas.
Reeze Hanson of Morning Glory Designs has a new BOM this year: Vintage Floral Sampler. Blocks will be posted at the first and 15th of each month and will be available for free for 30 days. Here’s the first block.
Kim’s Crafty Apple is hosting a Houses and Trees BOM over the next few months. 16 designers will be created 12″ blocks. I’m really excited about this BOM as I find houses to be so inspirational. I’ll have a block featured at the end of February.
From Jenny of Elefantz is this super cute Promises & Borders stitchery and appliqué. This is a 10-month BOM program starting in January.
Fat Quarter Stars Quilt-Along – already in progress – hosted by Konda of Moose on the Porch Quilts. I will have a block featured in this quilt-along late January. You can see the gorgeous blocks that have been created so far in the Flickr group.
Join Amy Gibson in a free BOM hosted at Craftsy.
From Jenna a Sew. Happy. Quilt. QAL! This is a modern/traditional mixed sampler style quilt which begins with blocks that aren’t too terribly difficult, and gradually builds up to more challenging techniques like paper piecing and dresden blades.
From Shabby Fabrics is this free BOM: Country Cottages. Be sure to subscribe to their blog to get notified when the next block is available.
Here’s Sulky’s 2012 BOM: Sweet City, an adorable appliqué project. Thanks to my friend Ruth for sharing the link on Facebook.
Angie’s Bits and Pieces is hosting three BOMs this year: Asian Teapots, Itching to be Stitching and Quilt labels.
From Benita of Victoriana Quilt Designs is Pattern Play a free BOM. The first block has been posted.
Also from Benita a new Design of the Week that you can use as a quilting motif, for embroidery or appliqué.
Don’t miss Benita’s Jacquard Quilt Plan a row quilt already in progress.
For the 2012, the Aurifil Designer of the Month BOM, will showcase their 12 wt thread for hand work. 12 wt is used for embroidery, stitchery, sashiko, big stitching quilting, and even very fine crochet! The 12 designers have designed a small stitchery picking colors they love and creating a design to reflect the month they are featured. The first designer is Roseann Kermes with a lovely snowy bird pattern. Random winners will be chosen each month of those that complete the block. Join the Flickr group here.
Jackie from Canton Village Quilt Works is hosting a Bloggers BOM, already in progress.
Fresh-squeezed sew-alongs will take place on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and will feature a fun project–some will be simple and perfect for beginners, and some will be more advanced, designed to up our skill levels. Join the Flickr group here.
Already underway, Sherri is hosting Mystery Monday’s. Each Monday, she posts a portion of a mystery pattern for you to sew.
Already in progress is the Oh My Stars quilt-along.
Try your hand at English paper piecing with this gorgeous Rose Star Block Party. If I weren’t already working on a hexxie project, I’d be joining this one. Join the Flickr group here.
Join Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs in the Scrappy Plate Club! If you’ve always wanted to make a Dresden Plate quilt then you’re going to have so much fun! Every month for the next 6 months Anne will be sharing pictures, tutorials and directions to make a wonderful Dresden Plate quilt.
Designed by Dorothy Baker for Lecien, Vintage Tiles Revisited, is a BOM already in progress. I simply adore this pattern. Thanks to Bradie for sharing the link on Facebook the other day.
From Patchplay is a free Christmas-themed BOM: Jingle Bell Square .
Becky from Patchwork Posse has a new round robin starting January 20th. It’s totally free and designed by other sewers! No passing around the box… you sew up your own quilt after the new row design is published.
Jill from Apple Avenue Quilts is hosting a free BOM. She designed the blocks as calendar blocks so each block reflects a theme for the month. The blocks can be used on a calendar holder (instructions also supplied) or as part of a sampler quilt. Each month will include instructions for a traditional pieced block and a foundation pieced block. April gets an extra block for Easter. Setting instructions will be included for the quilt with December’s blocks. January’s block has been posted already.
Shelly from Prairie Moon Quilts is hosting a quilt-along: Bouquets for Hazel. The quilt has some applique and some piecing, and she’ll be providing free tutorials about the techniques used along the way … as we travel through 1953 with her mother during high school!
Starting next week, for the next five weeks, Faith of Fresh Lemons will be posting tutorials for five star quilt blocks that you can make.
Challenges
Along with Quilting Is Murder, I’m thrilled to be hosting this quilt challenge where we ask participants to save a UFO (unidentified project) from certain death by finishing it up! Here’s the best part: it can be anything mysteriously quilting related *and* you decide if it is "finished" or not when submitted. Head over to the Quilting is Murder – Save a UFO Challenge page for all the details.
Jennifer of Sew Hooked has an excellent challenge for the new year: 12 for 2012. I seriously need to join this. Let’s see if I can get myself organized and prepare a plan of attack this weekend. I need to be accountable! There’s a Flickr group and a Facebook group too. You can see Jennifer’s plans here. She’s so organized!
Rhonda from Quilter in the Gap is also hosting a similar fun challenge to get us to finish up those UFOs: 2012 Finish-A-Long. Each quarter decide what you’ll finish up, do a blog post, link up on their site and follow through for a chance to win prizes.
It’s Season 3 of Project Quilting hosting my Kim’s Crafty Apple. The theme this year is It’s Time to Think Outside the Square. Tonnes of prizes to be won too. Challenge 1 has been posted: Architectural Elements.
Darlene at SewCalGal is hosting a 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge. Every month in 2012 a FMQ expert will share a tutorial with tips to help quilters learn and/or improve their free-motion quilting skills. What a fantastic idea. I’m looking forward to learning from these experts. The first post from Frances Moore has already been posted.
Quiltjane is hosting a super fun Dress up your roll competition. What a clever and creative idea with great Prizes too!
Over at SassyBlog is a challenge to make 12 scrappy projects in 2012. The first project is scrappy rectangles.
Alexandra is hosting a Tangerine Tango Quilt Challenge. Make a quilt or a mini quilt using oranges by March 2nd. Join the Flickr group here.
If you haven’t been quilting long enough to accumulate a big pile of UFO’s, this challenge is for you. NewFO Challenge gives you an opportunity to build up your supply of UFO’s! Each month, you’ll start a new project that you don’t have to complete this year.
Building Houses from Scraps – Make a house block each day challenge. The Rules/Guidelines are here.
The Curious Quilter is hosting a Postage Stamp Quilt 2012 Charm Swap & Challenge.
The Block A Day Challenge – The idea is to make one block a day and see how many quilt tops you can finish in 2012. Participants get points for each quilt block, top and completed quilt they post to the Flickr group. Each point equals one entry for monthly prizes.
Other Fun Stuff
The Modern Quilt Guild is doing a fun series on their blog: 100 Days of Modern Quilting. Each week they will feature 7 different modern quilts that represent various topics. They’ll also include tutorials from around the web on each topic, and a brand new tutorial each and every week.
Quilting friend Linda Parker is sharing with us how to put together a Lone Star Quilt. She’s included lots of tips and very detailed photos to make it EASY! One day I hope to tackle one of these beauties.
FairyFace Designs is hosting a series of tutorials aimed at beginners and newbies to sewing. The {Sew} Get Started tutorials start this week and will run up to May.
Victoria at Bumble Beans is hosting a fun series of colourful interviews. I will be a guest soon. Can you guess what my favourite colour is now and what it was as a child?
Over at Lawson and Lotti, there’s a link up party for anyone who has used a tutorial and posted about it or anyone that has written a tutorial. Link up happens every Tuesday and is a great way to learn new techniques and skills and finding out which tutorials work for their level of difficulty, etc.
Something a little different, but I thought it was very clever: A Vintage Postcard Calendar Journal. It’s easy and inexpesive to make. What a wonderful gift for someone that loves to write.
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