Where, Oh Where, Did March Go?

Boy, to say that this past month was full is an understatement, but despite my lack of visibility here in blogland I have actually accomplished quite a bit. I finished four flimsies! When I started doing the tally I didn't quite believe it because I just don't tend to pump them out that quickly, but four it is, and it feels really good.

One was started from scratch and, incredibly, the flimsy was finished a few weeks later. The quilters at our church are once again supporting Quilts for Survivors this year, which, in addition to making blocks and flimsies/quilts, includes a free will offering at coffee hour to help with the cost of shipping quilts to survivors, so I needed something to show everyone what our quilters have been up to and get them excited about this initiative. 

I have a fondness for star blocks so when I came across a great inspiration block on Pinterest that incorporated gingham it seemed like a good jumping off point. My gingham looks black but it's actually dark brown. In fact, when you step away from the quilt, it looks almost grey.

A little digging and I came across this cinnamon floral - the pansies are just beautiful. With only a small piece, it was a good challenge to see how far I could stretch it. 

This was one of the first blocks that I made with it and I like it, but given how the blocks evolved I think I would have preferred it if I had cut it into a few smaller pieces rather than making that large 8" centre. Ah well, it works. And it forced me to get creative.

Originally I was just going to make up a few 16" blocks - the size that QFS prefer - but the more I made the more I knew it would become a quilt. The stars are made from 4" HSTs and squares.

Start with a few brown and cream stars...

Add maybe a brown and cream vine...

Mix in lots of creamy neutrals, and...

wa-la!

We'll need to have additional blocks and quilts/tops to display every second Sunday from here to the end or June (or whenever we reach our fundraising target) so hopefully other quilters will help out on that front. Many of my quilting friends have said that they will add items to our bundle so fingers crossed that a few of them are ready in the weeks to come. 

I've got one or two patterns in mind so probably best to get started on one to help fill in the blanks....M