I love taking part in Block of the Month quilts (BOM’s), I must do, I’ve got five on the go at the moment (three quilts and two cross-stitch) and I’m considering starting another one! A BOM is where the designer releases a new part of the design every month (usually) until the quilt is complete. They’re often sampler quilts with a different block pattern each month. There’s several designers here on the UKQU site that offer BOM’s too, for those of you who haven’t tried a BOM, not sure what to expect, here’s a few thoughts;
-Timescale; They may be usually referred to as BOM’s, patterns are often released once a month, but I’ve taken part in weekly ones and twice weekly, the cross-stitch ones at the moment are fortnightly. The main thing to remember is that it doesn’t matter if you get behind, life gets in the way sometimes! Just save the patterns and pick them back up when you can.
– Learning a new skill; BOM’s are great ways to learn a new skill, when I first started quilting I did a couple of Pat Sloan BOM’s which taught me the basics of half square triangles, flying geese etc. I wanted to learn needle turn applique, so I did a Sarah Fielke BOM called Down the Rabbit Hole, I fell for a quilt by Andrea Walpole which is free machine embroidered, that was a huge learning curve! I think because a pattern is released in small sections, it often seems more manageable, not so overwelming. One BOM where I learnt lots was the Splendid Sampler, 100 6″ blocks, a pattern released twice a week, each by a different designer so lots of different techniques. The first block that was foundation paper pieced could have been written in double dutch, I followed an youtube video and eventually made it, if it had been a whole quilt I wouldn’t have even started it, but because it was just one 6″ block I did it, I like foundation paper piecing now, doing the Splendid Sampler quilt pushed me out of my comfort zone.
– On Line Support; I think this is quite a personal thing, quite a few designers who do BOM’s have a good on-line presence, usually facebook or instagram. I really appreciate the on-line support and camaraderie. When doing the Splendid Sampler in particular, if you were struggling with a block you could guarantee you weren’t on your own, more experienced quilters would post tips and encouragement. It’s wonderful and inspiring too to see the same quilt pattern made up in 100’s of different colourways. With social media is also easy to message the designer with any particular problems, they usually get back to you pretty quickly. Some, like Sarak Fielke also make a video for each month with demonstrations of new techniques. I didn’t realise how important the on-line part was to me until I did a BOM without it, I just got the pattern through the post each month, it was a new technique which I struggled with and never did get the hang of (Appliquik rods!)
– Secret or not! Some BOM’s are secret, in that you don’t know what the design is going to be like when you start, that’s fine if you’re just wanting to learn techniques, or using it as a scrap-busting quilt. Otherwise you need to trust your designer and her style that you will like the end result. The cross-stitch ones I do are all secret, but I like the designers style, so I trust her to create something I will like. Other designers such as Sarah Fielke will release a sketch of the design which gives you a general idea, it also gives you chance to think about colour schemes etc.With the BOM I’ve just (yesterday!) finished with Andrea Walpole I had seen the finished design first, releasing it in monthly blocks made it more manageable.
-Fabric; Some designers will offer a pack of fabric to make the BOM, I’ve only done this twice, once, ironically, was with the BOM with no on-line support and I nearly gave up, I also had quite a lot of fabric left afterwards. The second time was with Andrea Walpole’s Spring Wreath quilt, I felt the batik fabrics she used really made the quilt, so I bought the fabric pack as well and I was impressed that just the right amount was provided.
-Cost; Some BOM’s are free, often they are organised by designers who also have fabric range, so it gives their new range some publicity. However designers have to earn a living too, there’s a lot of time and effort goes into running a BOM, never mind the design in the first place. I’m happy to pay a reasonable amount for a BOM, it spreads the cost over a time too, OK if you look at the total cost it is sometimes an expensive way to buy a pattern, but I see it in terms of learning and experience, as well as the camaraderie, it’s a bit like going to a workshop from the comfort of own home!
So, have a look at the BOM’s offered here and elsewhere, give one a go, but I must warn you that, like quilting, they’re addictive!
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