1/2 of My Stroll Around The Block Wall Quilt

1/2 year of strolling around the block

About a year and a half ago, (long before I knew that Etsy existed) I searched the web for an idea. The "idea' that I found was making a quilted wall hanging from 12 blocks containing renditions of each month of the year, in the form of a decorated house. Each house had different backgrounds, looks, and had little personalized touches that a person could add to it and make it their own. Well, hey, I like this kind of thing. I'm not good at coming up with ideas, but I sure can run like the wind when I find a good one!

You can go to HGTV and search for details on the quilt. Unfortunately, HGTV has changed their web site and if I am not mistaken, they have removed the instructions. You can, however, see a picture of a finished stroll around the block quilt here. Hopefully, I have copies of the pattern packed away in a box somewhere...(hopefully...).

I was already partially prepared for this project too! I had a huge box of fabric scraps, thread, embroidery needles, and iron on fusible webbing. I was set! Unfortunately, I grew tired of the fabric I had on hand and devised a plan to create havoc on my friendly fabric cutter at the local fabric store. I think she shivers when she sees me. Hee heee heeee.

"Excuse me, could you cut me only 3 inches of this fabric", I would say sweetly. The lady would gladly oblige. Then I socked it to her. Unbeknown to her, my buggy was full of a stack of fabric bolts. Each bolt would require only 3 inches of fabric to be cut from them!

Why only three inches? Well, three inches was enough to get some scraps (sometimes 45" wide) and provided me with plenty of little "left overs". I didn't want a lot of the same fabrics showing up in the quilt after all.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not an evil person. I just think that it is funny that when I head to the fabric department now, the lady is suddenly at lunch most times. I can picture her peaking from around a floral display and saying, "arghhhh, here comes that annoying woman again!" She then takes the fastest route to the break room and hides.

Well, that fabric lady can rest easy (at least for awhile), because I've slacked off on my efforts to finish the quilt. At this moment, I only have January through June finished and I haven't had any inspiration to pick it back up. Thinking back, I think I stalled because I couldn't find any 4th of July fabric to start July with. Maybe there is some in stock now....hmmmm......got me thinking now......

I'm all about not waisting what I have so I'll walk you through each month. You know how I am, I have a story behind everything I make. It just has to be that way with me. If it isn't important for some reason or another, it just isn't worth making!

January

January was fairly simple. The plaid tree trunk was made from some John Deere fabric that I made a quilt out of for my youngest son. The grey snowman was made from fabric that I bought 11 or 12 years ago for a celebration at my oldest son's school. I made George Washington's pants from that grey fabric. The sky fabric was from some snowmen fabric that I pieced together. Boy, I butchered that fabric all to pieces! I did, however, have enough left over to make this little tote in my Etsy shop from the left overs.

February

This was the first block I made in this series. I didn't start with January like normal people would. The fence posts were made from scraps that I used to make a scarecrow costume out of for one of the kids over the years. The main house piece, just happens to be the same fabric that Annie the Baby Safe Teddy Bear is made from. George Washington's pants equals grey sky too.

March

This house was made of an extra curtain panel leftover from my living room curtains. The sky was made from some leftover material from my oldest daughter's quilt.

April

All fabric on this block was purchased new except for the sky fabric. It was leftover from a baby quilt that I made for a second cousin last summer.

May

All new fabrics on this one! (The ribbon however, is some that I purchased a long, long, long, time ago).

June

All new fabrics on this one except for the sky. I made a baby quilt from it and parts of "Blue, the baby safe teddy bear".

There you have it, after reading over what I just typed, I believe that I am way too sentimental. Maybe I remember way too many random bits of information. Maybe I have jibber jabbered long enough. Regardless, this is my "handmade" that I have been working on and hopefully, I'll get the energy to finish it this year. I'll keep you posted if I do.