I love Big Block 9 of Fat Quarter Shop’s Patchwork Quilt Along.  I thought it appropriate this was named Grandmother’s Choice. My grandma was Grace Williams (1883-1982), and she’s pretty much the reason I quilt. I grew up on our family farm, our homes adjacent to each other, spending every day with her and running in and out of her house where she quilted…..daily.

Every. Single. Day.

Not kidding.

I think about her with this block because (did anyone else notice this???)  it’s made up of four T’s.  That made me think of Temperance, thenTemperance Movement, then Carry Nation and that brings us back full circle to Grandma. She met and interviewed Carry Nation more than a century ago, and she enjoyed telling us about it nearly as much as we were fascinated hearing about such a woman. (Sigh)…I miss Grandma. She really would have LOVED rotary cutters and rulers!

 

 

Looking at this month’s Big Block 9, I did a lot of reminiscing when I realized what line of Bonnie and Camille fabric I had used from my stash: Daysail.  Such memories! This was the same fabric used in Fat Quarter Shop’s Snapshot’s Quilt Along. It was the first quilt along I did with FQS, and now I’m totally addicted and want to do them all.

 

 

It was during Snapshots that I started changing sizes of quilts a lot. I loved the original Snapshots quilt, but  I wanted something smaller I could display on the wall. Had I known when I started just how small things would get….whew! I remember when I was making these bicycle blocks.  The mini block was  6½” x 8½” but those tiny little pinwheels in the upper right corner….

 

 

Those babies finished at a mere ¾-inch. I must have been crazy (but they were sooo cute)!

 

 

Anyway, back to fabric choices….I was wanting to use a navy fabric and realized I didn’t have much to choose from. How sad is that? Not to fear, though, because afterwards I went right online and took a stroll up and down the aisles of the Fat Quarter Shop, and guess what I did?

 

 

Yepper! I went on a shopping spree. Woo hoo!!  The timing was perfect, as I got an email notice that The Good Life by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics  had just arrived.

 

 

I also picked up a few other B&C by Moda navy fabrics, so I think this should keep me going for awhile.

 

 

Since I was already there and everything was so lovely, I had to include a few gray tones, a couple aquas and that sweet duo of Marmalade print and Marmalade stripe. To be honest, I wanted them ALL! The fabric bundles weren’t in at the time I placed my order, but I see everything is available now. If you are interested in a bundle, I wouldn’t wait. Past experience tells me they go quickly.

Big Block 9

Here is this month’s Big Block 9 instructions for Grandmother’s Choice.  Such a simple block to make, but I loved it! Click the PDF link under the picture to open and download your Big Block file to print.

Big Block 9 PDF Download

 

Each month during 2017, Fat Quarter Shop will post a new free pattern and video tutorial for the Patchwork Quilt and encourage participants to donate to Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas in lieu of payments. Fat Quarter Shop and Moda Fabrics will each match up to $10,000 of the donations raised. (#awesome)  Learn more about it and how you can help here!

Check out the blogs every month of our quilty friends. Watch their process, and see what fun fabric collections they have selected!

*Psst! The designers of the quilt’s fabrics – Bonnie & Camille – are sewing along, too! Fun!

Please share your progress and creations along with all of us on our Patchwork Facebook group. Post your blocks using #patchworkquiltalong on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.