The lure of the BOM

"Hello, I'm the Calico Quilter and I'm addicted to Block of the Month quilts."

"Hello, Calico."

That's what should be happening right now, if there were a twelve step program for overcommitted quilters. Here I am trying to clean up unfinished projects, and what do I do this morning? Innocently, I start a search for free block of the month projects. (How's that for delusion?) What do I find? This.
It's cute and it's free and it would look great made in my collection of batiks. (What else am I going to do with them? Stare at them? Build a shrine for them? I have been too leery of cutting into them. This will force me to look at them as just another fabric - another, gulp, expensive fabric.).

So off I go to the printer for a copy of the fabric requirements, and to the stash closet, to pull the yardage and create a project box, all the while mentally kicking myself and saying "You have no business committing to another BOM. You know how much time it ended up taking last year."

"But," I answered myself sweetly, "that was because I made two of each of them and I'm only going to make one of this one."

"Yes, but this is not the only one you're going to make, I just know it. You've already been skulking around BlockCentral to see if they've posted their 2009 BOM. Besides, you're going to do Quiltville's mystery quilt, and that starts tomorrow."

"This BOM doesn't start until January 15th."

"Completely beside the point. And, didn't I see you printing out the fabric requirements for that other mystery quilt?"

"But it's a small quilt, it will be quick to complete. They said one day if you're a fast sewer. That's for January 1st."

"What about taking the Christmas tree down on January 1st?"

"But it's so pretty. Can't we enjoy it for a while longer?"

"You're hopeless, completely hopeless."

You see? I need to be rescued from myself.

Another "Somewhere in Time" BOM

Finally, my last BOM in process, the same "Somewhere in Time" but full size (the black and tan version is 2/3rd size). There are seven blocks so far, and each is 18" so instead of photographing each one, I put them all on my guest bed. You can see the color scheme is blue, olive and rust. I hadn't decided what to do with the quilt, because it will finish smaller than queen size but when I spread the blocks on the guest bed it came to me that I can use it there. Or maybe I'll give it away for Christmas - haven't decided yet.

BlockCentral "Somewhere in Time" BOM

These blocks are my homage to my calico avatar, Molly, whose picture you see at the top of the blog. It will be a true "calico" quilt - black, white and tan!

It's about time

Finally, I am a sluggard no more. Quilt fabric has passed through my fingers today and I am almost caught up with my BOM obligations. I made two blocks for the Christmas wall hanging, and four blocks for the BlockCentral BOM (two in blue/rust and two in black/gray/tan). Two more applique blocks for Hearts A Flutter BOM and I will be done for the month. At that point I will bind the gift baby quilt, bind my butterfly lap quilt and quilt a few Linus projects.

All this sewing in addition to 4th of July cooking and watering/tending the outside plants. Whew!

Pictures tomorrow, folks, too tired tonight.

Waiting for BlockCentral

First, I must tell you that I am a pathologically punctual person. I am the first arrival at every party (I've even driven around the block to kill time so that I won't arrive too early), the one who gets to the doctor's office at least 15 minutes before my appointment - regardless of how long I know I will end up waiting, the person you will see pacing circles around the food court if you're 5 minutes late meeting me at the mall. I think I inherited this trait from the grandfather I never knew, who passed away before I was born. Mom tells of him getting dressed far too early to go to his Lodge meeting, and pacing up and down the back sidewalk until time to leave. This SOOOO sounds like me.

Anyway, that trait is why the following bugs me so much: BlockCentral hasn't posted its BOM June block yet, and it's the 17th. OK, it's just one block, but I'm working on a lot of projects, including four BOM's, so I like to keep up.

Really keep up. Come to think of it, can they post July's block early?