It’s April, and that means a new month for the Monthly Color Challenge being hosted by Patterns by Jen. (<–not *this* Jen – ha!). April’s color is purple – which seems a fitting color since we’re at the tail end of the Lenten season, no?
This year Jen added options using the monthly color and black or white…but I really wanted to play with the tones of the purple, so I stuck with a dark purple and a light purple. I’m really happy with how this block turned out!
After finishing my block, I turned it into a baby doll quilt for my niece. She has a favorite doll, named Cup, who needs some new fabric shoes…my sister sent these photos, and you can see below how much Cup is in need of a good cobbler!
My niece and I, via FaceTime, looked at the fabrics I had on hand. She picked the light purple swirl as the replacement color for Cup’s shoes…anything purple for her! I used that same fabric in this block, then added sashing at the top and bottom to make the block a bit wider so it to turn it into a blanket that could cover Cup when she sleeps.
In quilting it, I really wanted to have the shape of the block pop – so I went with a high loft batting and used a clear monofilament thread to outline the squares. In the photo on the right, you can really see the depth this block creates when paired with a plush batting! I love it!
Have you tried making this block yet? One tip: there are a lot of points, and it was important to me to get them all lined up (I’m an exact kind of girl!). So, make friends – close friends – with your pins. If you haven’t tried these flower head ones, consider it – they’re my go-to, as they lay perfectly flat against the fabric resulting in minimal (if any) unnecessary pulling and bunching.
There are quite a few talented quilters joining up for to share their blocks this month – stop by to see how their blocks turned out:
- Jen Shaffer at Patterns By Jen
- Mona Phelps at Ky Whittaker Creations
- Kathy Bruckman at Kathy’s Kwilts and More
- Terri Sontra at Purple Moose Designs
- Roseanne Nelson at Home Sewn By Us
Are you joining in the challenge? If so, be sure to tag your posts with #2020MonthlyColorChallenge so we can all see and share! If you haven’t joined in, it’s a great time to start – this quarter has some really great sponsors:
Hello! Your block is beautiful – I love the dark and light purple. They definitely highlight and bring out the best of each other. I am certain that Cup is styling underneath her new blanket, and that your niece is just loving it as well. Everyone wants their baby kept nice and warm and comfy. Stay healthy and safe! ~smile~ Roseanne
Aww, Roseanne, thank you! My sister sent some photos of Cup with her new shoes under the blanket; I’ll have to check with her if I can share. They are just too cute! You, too, stay healthy and safe…prayers for us all <3