Mary Jo,
May I just say the fabric from the Prairie Paisley collection is so pretty. I almost did the Block Party for 2008, but haven't finished my 2007 Party yet. It was a fun thing to do.
Rebecca P

Thanks everybody, for the input.

I guess I've already done some kit quilts. I've done four BOM's (samplers) from the quilt shop but for some reason, I didn't think of them as "kits". Where's that D'oh! smiley?

Auntie Pam, you have already done four quilts and didn't realize it! That's why I love doing BOM because you don't feel overwhelmed or pressured! I bet your BOM samplers are
BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL!!!!!!!

Mary Jo

Not BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL at all. I made three of them before I figured out that the blocks need to be the same size or else the sashing & sashing squares and setting squares won't fit!

My friend with the long-arm machine used them to practice and I gave them away, with apologies. Isn't it funny though -- that when you give someone a quilt, they don't seem to care if it's perfect? I like that.

Here's a photo of some of the blocks in the current BOM -- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/AuntiePam/Quilts/CIMG04922.jpg

Praise be, they're all the same size!

I used to worry at first about my "imperfect" quilts ... although I know I am just making them to be enjoyed and used and want them only to be comfy and pretty ...

Then one time I was visiting the New England Quilt Museum and was studying an antique quilt from circa 1860's hung in beautifully ornate display.

Even my not very well-trained eye found mismatched and cut-off points, uneven seams and the use of large pieces of unpieced fabric as filler between the blocks. I smiled.

It was a beautiful quilt and showed signs of wear. Some newbie or imperfect quilter such as I had made this many years ago with love and it had been used and appreciated and preserved with care.

Almost 150 years later, it is considered a work of art ... worthy of a museum wall ...

... and still offering warm comfort to this beginner quilter.

Why, Pat, that was just beautiful! It gave me the warm fuzzies all over. Maybe in 150 years, some quilter will look at my imperfect quilts and feel that same way! Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder! Besides, there are no perfect quilts - all are made by imperfect people!

Cassie

That's encouraging. I've heard either Fons or Porter say "I've never made a perfect quilt, but I've made some perfect blocks."