Bella Skill Builder Quilt Along: February Block, Navy, Orange and Reds

Oh I have been having a bit of fun lately getting back into the swing of things again!

I always seem to have a bit of a tough time after the Christmas holidays finding my way back to my machine. It’s not that I’m not motivated – I think that it’s more so that I just don’t know where to start.

I think this year might be a bit easier as I aim to be a bit more organized with my life (which seems to be a much simpler task as the kiddos get a little older) – and I’m finding my way back to writing everything down.

I know. Archaic.

I’ve gone back to the ways of the “Planner”. “To-do” lists. Pencils. Pens. Highlighters. You name it. I’m writing. It. Down.

stock image. I wouldn't photograph (or own) something so pretty....

I feel like I’m in University again. ((((flashback)))) And – I’m honestly loving it. I feel more in control having stuff on paper rather than in my phone/computer/___electronic device___. Am I the only crazy person out there who might just be moving backwards in technology just a tiny wee bit?

Anyway! I digress! I’m excited for my first new project of 2017 - and I hope you'll join me!


As one of their Partners, I’m participating in The Fat Quarter Shop’s Moda Bella Skill Builder Quilt Along, and this first month’s block was a LOT of fun (and easy!). The pattern is free and is available on the Jolly Jabber today so make sure to head over there and check it out afterwards, and there’s a kit for the quilt along available here on the Fat Quarter Shop's site!

Fat Quarter Shop's Bella Skill Builder Quilt Kit! - Ooooo - preeetttty....

A little background on my fabric selections-

I decided to go with a color palette that I loved and that was a little wintery – something that would look good in our master bedroom. Here I’ll be 100% honest – I don’t have a color scheme in my main bed – we moved in 2 years ago and the walls were all cream when we moved in, and they haven’t changed.

I went with grey curtains (because I needed curtains right away and didn’t know how I was going to decorate the room in the future) and I’ve been working on any and every other room in the house since.

The master bed will be the last to be done. I’m wondering if this is the case in every person’s house… (readers: thoughts on this?)

Anywho! Here’s my color palette inspiration:


…and here’s what that looks like in Bella (from Moda) solids:


…I decided to add a pop of orange to the mix, just a little, to give a tiny bit of visual interest, so I added the Melon in. I may still add a darker red at some point, but I do love where this is going.

Without further adieu, my blocks for the month of February:


(Don’t look too closely at my centers. They are not the greatest. I quite honestly will most likely be ripping these apart and re-doing them as my Type-A sub-conscious is sitting in the corner twitching right now – but these were done before I figured out a little tricky-pooh which worked well for me, noted below, which made my life a little easier)

And if you decide that you’d like to participate in the quilt along, here are a few little tips and tricks I found really helped me in my process – but make sure to check out the Fat Quarter Shop’s You Tube Page (here) for their video tutorial on these blocks -

- instead of pressing your seams open, I pressed towards my darker fabric; you’ll find that your seams nest better when you go to join them, centers will match better and will tend to buckle less (a trick I only ended up experimenting with at the end with my last block – oops – I might end up ripping out my others so that seams all lay a little flatter)
- a note to above – I was using the paper template and I have to think that if I had invested in the actual plastic Creative Grids Spider Web template I may not have had as much trouble with my centers being perfect. Speculation, but something to be considered, for sure! Paper templates are not nearly as easily used as legit non-slip super-grip fantastical plexi ones are.
- make sure to chain piece/assembly line piece – it’ll speed the process, especially if you’re like me and you have to work in spurts. I would sew all of the first seams in one sitting, then that night in front of the tv do all of my pressing, then the next sitting sew all of the next seams, and ‘sew’ on.

This block was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see everyone else’s blocks and color palettes, and of course for March’s block! Thanks to the Fat Quarter Shop for such a fun quilt along. Stay tuned for more fun!