Happy New Year! If you plan to view the Rose Parade on TV tomorrow, why not begin selecting, cutting, and sewing fabrics for your very own “Rows Parade” while you watch. We begin the 2023 free Block of the Month Quilt Along with a quick and easy block, Simple Windmill.
If you are making the queen size quilt with horizontal rows, you need to make nine Simple Windmill blocks in January. If you are making the throw size or twin size quilt, you need to make six blocks. Don’t be put off by the amount of blocks you need to make each month; they can all be constructed in a couple of hours.
“Fresh Fig Favorites” is the fabric line I selected, and I purchased a stack of fat quarters for the project. My initial thought was to use just two colors per row, hence the teal and green fabrics pictured above. As you can tell from the picture of the finished quilt, I deviated from that idea and used all the colors in most of the rows. You might like to do the same. If you are using a bundle of fat quarters, your quilt will be “planned scrappy.” All the colors and prints will look pleasing when used together in your quilt. However, work on spreading the colors evenly throughout the quilt.
As you begin constructing the blocks, be sure your seam allowance (slightly scant 1/4″) yields the prescribed sizes of units and blocks. We want each of the rows of your quilt to measure the same length. Measuring carefully as you go will mean less frustration in the final assembly of the quilt.
Click on “Rows Parade” BOM 2023 in the blog menu. Print the Fabric Requirements document and the Line Drawings document. And then locate and print the instructions for Simple Windmill.
I would love to see a picture of your completed blocks. I often share the pics on this blog to inspire readers to participate in QALs. Email me at aby.quilts@gmail.com.