With the Scrappy Trip along and Schoenrock Cross QAL completed, there has been a void. Don’t get me wrong, I have lots of other exciting projects on the go. But I was suprised at how much I enjoyed taking part in a Quilt a Long. Trying something new, with a community of people, sharing and learning along the way. So, this week  I have been looking for another project in the online quilting community.

There are many interesting projects happening out there. I have never taken part in a quilting bee before and I love Amy’s idea at Diary of a Quilter. A virtual Quilting Bee, I can take part when I like at my own pace, perfect for a Bee beginner!

There will be a new block tutorial every other week, by 16 different bloggers. After 8 months you will have enough blocks to make a quilt. Amy has also written informative posts about supplies, quilting basics, and choosing fabrics/colors to get you started.

http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2013/02/a-virtual-quilting-bee.html

So here we go…….

Firstly I picked my fabrics. I decided to use the stash I already have. Usually I would select fabrics with a finished quilt pattern in mind. This felt a bit back to front selecting colours, without a plan in my head, of how they would ultimately fit together. Seeking guidance I read Amy’s choosing fabric and then followed her link to a ‘phenominal’ post The Art of choosing written by Jeni. I think I will be refering back to this for ever!

I had such fun doing this; found lots of forgotten about fabrics, swapped, changed and learnt a lot! I am sure there will be more changes along the way. I will definately be adding some solid colour fabrics, to help accentuate some of the patterns.

Then onto  Block#1 by Sherri  of a Quilting Life

A lovely star block. You only need to make one, I want to make more, Instantly wished I had used a light blue backround, would the star pop even more?

Waiting a fortnight for the next tutorial……that will not be easy!

There is a  Flickr Group for sharing your blocks.