Welcome to month 1 of the Bella Skill Builder, a ten-month series courtesy of
Fat Quarter Shop.
This quilt was designed by
Sherri McConnell, and the free, yes
free, blocks will be released on the first of each month, starting today and running through November.
This month's blocks are the classic kaleidoscope block, in two sizes.
I have made quite a few kaleidoscope quilts over the years, and the first helpful hint I can offer is to get a specialty ruler to help you out. Of course, you can definitely make these blocks without the ruler, and templates are included in the pattern. But, in my opinion, you will be
much happier using the ruler. There are several to choose from. If you happen to be partial to Creative Grids rulers, get the
Spider Web Ruler.
I have used Marti Michell's
Kaleido-Ruler for years and it's another great option.
I'll be using Moda Bella solids for the entire quilt, and there are so many luscious colors so I had the hardest time choosing colors. Kim of
Persimon Dreams chose to make a scrappy solids quilt, which I think is going to be fabulous. In the end, I went with a "
Figtree Quilts" palette. The plan is to donate this quilt to the annual quilt auction at the
West Coast Mennonite Relief Sale in 2018, with proceeds going to Third World relief.
(This picture is for my granddaughter, Charlotte, who loves to turn nearly every picture on my phone into a watercolor via the waterlogue app. Hi, Charlotte....)
Does this sound interesting to you? Join us! The Fat Quarter Shop will walk you through all the blocks with their video series. You can get all the information
here, along with a list of participating bloggers.
