First of all, thank you so much to those of you who have already joined the Lucky Stars BOM Club! I am so excited to be sewing with all of you throughout 2013 :) If you haven't already joined, you can do so right here or via Craftsy.


Over the last few days, I've gotten several email questions about the Lucky Stars BOM Club that I wanted to address here, in case you might have the very same question! Here goes...

Q: I'm a subscriber, but I didn't get my Lucky Stars email this month. Did you forget me?
A: No, of course not! But, email can be a tricky thing. First, check in your Spam or Junk folder, as the email may have wound up there. All Lucky Stars emails are sent on the 1st of every month. If it's not in your Spam or Junk folder, make sure to add elizabeth(at)dontcallmebetsy(dot)com to your email's Address Book or Contacts List and then send me an email to tell me about your missing email. Make sure to tell me what email address you subscribed with so I can get your email resent to you quickly.

Q: Can I buy a membership for my friend/sister/neighbor/etc?
A: Absolutely! That's so sweet :) Simply email me after your purchase with the gift recipient's name and email address. Their first email from the club will come on the 26th, so it won't spoil any holiday surprise!

Q: What if I sign up after the 26th? Will I still receive the bonus practice pattern and Paper Piecing Survival Guide?
A: Absolutely, you'll receive the bonus pattern and guide 24-48 hours after joining the club, if you join after the 26th. Keep in mind, though, that the special $10 pricing will only be in effect through January 5th. Starting January 6th, club membership goes up to $15.

Q: Do I pay monthly for the club?
A: Nope, you just pay once! After you purchase your subscription, you're all done paying for the Lucky Stars BOM for the year.

Q: I live overseas/internationally/far, far away - can I still join?
A: As long as you have an email address that works and a computer you can check your email on that also has Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can absolutely join, it doesn't matter where you live!

Q: What if I can't keep up?
A: No worries! Just work at your own pace. The emails you receive from the club will contain your patterns and templates, but there's no obligation to finish each block by the end of the month.

Q: Any tips on picking out my fabrics for the club?
A: The first thing to do in picking out your fabric is to decide how you want to pick your fabrics - do you want to work from a specific color scheme? Do you want to work with a specific fabric collection and pick some coordinating fabrics to go along with them? Once you've figured that out, just be sure to have lots of variety in color value, i.e. a light green and a dark green. We'll be talking a lot about using light and dark fabrics throughout the year, so be sure to have value variety in your fabrics.


Q: Can beginners join the club, or is foundation paper piecing too difficult for a beginner?
A: That's a personal choice, really, but here's my thoughts: if you're interested in learning paper piecing, then go for it! I'll be sending out a practice block to all club members on the 26th that will give you an opportunity to get started with paper piecing, along with my Paper Piecing Survival Guide. Admittedly, my first paper piecing experience involved a lot of swearing, and me throwing my foundation across the room a few times in frustration, but I am not always the best at following directions, and I seem to recall working more from a template than specific step-by-step instructions. Truly, it's up to you - if you are a beginning quilter or quilter with no paper piecing experience, you can definitely do this. It may be a challenge for you, so it's up to you to decide whether or not you're in the mood for that.

I hope you're all having a wonderful week so far! I just finished my Christmas shopping this morning, so I see lots of wrapping paper in my future this weekend, along with some fun family cookie decorating. I hope you have a great day :)