And I say "first girlie quilt" because I suspect there will be more at some point. I have to say, finding out that the new baby is going to be a girl was really exciting for a number of reasons, one of which was thinking of all of the adorable fabrics that I've hoarded over the years that just haven't been right for the numerous quilts I've made for the munchkin over the years. It was fun to pull out loads of Heather Ross and Sarah Jane and Aneela Hoey fabrics to make the first girlie cutesy quilt for my daughter-to-be.

This week is a star kind of week in the 39 Blocks Before Baby project. I'm actually really proud of myself for getting this far with making only a few start blocks - this brings the grand total of star blocks so far to 3. I'm down to just another six 6" blocks to make after this week, which is amazing!


This classic goodie from the 2013 Lucky Stars Block of the Month Club has been one of my favorite stars for quite a long time, and I knew I wanted to incorporate it into this quilt. I've made several of them over the years, but this might be my favorite iteration, mainly because of that gorgeous Joel Dewberry woodgrain print. Holy wow does it look fantastic in this block! I definitely see me using this print more in the blocks to come for this quilt.
Ten down, twenty-nine to go!! If you're interested in making this fun sampler along with me, check out all of the details of the Epic Sampler Block of the Month Club right here. Have a wonderful week everyone!

Big news, friends! The Epic Sampler Block of the Month Club, the sampler quilt that I've been calling my 39 Blocks Before Baby project, will be kicking off October 1st!

Subscribe now and save! Subscriptions placed before October 1st will get the special pre-sale rate of $25 (regular price as of October 1st: $30)!



Spend thirteen fun months working on a beautiful sampler quilt that you'll cherish for years to come! Work at your own pace, or sew along monthly, creating three blocks per month. This block of the month project is perfect for quilters at all skill levels. All blocks are pieced either using traditional patchwork or foundation paper piecing, and detailed instructions are provided for each block, including cutting instructions, piecing instructions, and tips and tricks for each.

The block patterns are yours to keep, forever! Feel free to re-use them in other projects as you see fit. Take a peek at all of the beautiful blocks included in the sampler - so stunning!

2015 has been a mighty busy year, but I sure have missed working with you all on a block of the month program, so I'm super excited to get a new one underway. The Lucky Stars clubs for 2013 and 2014 still regularly bring me joy when I see you all making your beautiful blocks and quilts!

Never done a block of the month club with me before? Here's a few quick FAQ's to get you familiar:

How does it work?
On the first of every month, you will receive an email with a link to download the month's pattern. All emails will be sent to email address associated with the PayPal account used for payment. Each block pattern will include cutting instructions, step-by-step piecing instructions, and full-color diagrams. For this block of the month series, the three block patterns will be contained in one single download for your convenience. Download the file to your favorite computer and print it as needed for your piecing. For foundation paper pieced blocks, you'll see instructions in the pattern on how many copies of the templates you'll need to print, but not to worry, you don't need any fancy paper - regular plain old printer paper will work just fine!

What will I need to finish the quilt?
You can download the fabric requirements right here.

What if I fall behind?
No big deal! Sew at your own pace - there's no deadline to finish your quilt, so enjoy the process, and if that means taking a month off, by all means, do so!

What if I've never paper pieced before?
Then you're in for a treat :) You may want to warm up with one of my free paper piecing tutorials, but if you're ready for the challenge, then not to worry, as the patterns are beginner friendly.

Do I pay monthly for the club?
Nope, you just pay once! After you purchase your subscription, you're all done paying for this club.

Can I buy a subscription for my friend/sister/wife/babysitter/neighbor?
Absolutely, what a sweet idea!! Simply email me at elizabeth@dontcallmebetsy.com after your purchase with your name and PayPal email address as well as your gift recipient's name and email address. Their first email from the club will come on October 1st.

I live overseas/internationally/in another time zone - can I still join?
As long as you have an email address that works and a computer that you can check email on that also has a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat Reader, you absolutely can join! It doesn't matter a bit where you live :)

Okay, I'm in! How do I subscribe?
You can subscribe through my Pattern Shop here or Craftsy here, whichever you prefer!

Have other questions not addressed here? Feel free to email me at elizabeth@dontcallmebetsy.com and I'll be happy to answer them! I hope you consider joining in the fun and quilting along with me, these blocks are a lot of fun to put together!

Three weeks in, and I'm still loving this project big-time. I look forward to spending a few hours in my sewing room with my 39 Blocks Before Baby notebook each week, where I've got all my quilty math and such, and cutting and sewing a few blocks. And I'm loving how they are looking together so far! There's a total of 16 6" blocks in the quilt, so I'm making good headway making my way through that part of the quilt, so yay for that! Here's how they all look now...

Less is More
This block stems from my first book Becoming a Confident Quilter (signed copies available in my shop!). Granted, the pattern in the book is for a completely different block size, but the block itself remains the same. This one is paper pieced, not because there are unusual angles or anything, but because it's a five-unit block, and well, five divided by six yields some numbers that are less than fun to cut in my opinion, so I opted for paper piecing. I used a new background print that will be used intermittently throughout the quilt, a fun and simple white polka dot on a gray background.

Pineapple
The Pineapple block is quite a classic block, but believe it or not, I never made a traditional one. Just an improv one or two! The Pineapple is another paper pieced block, though it is possible to piece traditionally, I find the accuracy of paper piecing a must for a block this precise. I really love the way the teal and fuchsia play against one another, and I think it's making this one my favorite block thus far!

This week's two new blocks are the Churn Dash and the Courthouse Steps. Pretty traditional, but I love them all the same. There's such a rich history in traditional blocks that I thoroughly appreciate, and sewing them up in modern, fun fabrics is more than enough to make them look fresh and new for me. I did alter last week's Economy block as well, which I was feeling was just a bit too dark on the outer corners, so I took those off and added my most favorite-ist Chicopee print in fuchsia, and I think it really works :)

So, I mentioned last week about my hare-brained idea to make this epic sampler quilt before the baby is born, and I've gotten right to work on it. Combined with my Twirl block from last week (download the free tutorial right here!), I'm up to a total of four blocks thus far. Here they are in all their glory!