I'm still not managing to stay caught up with Barbara Brackman's Grandmother's Choice BOW. These three blocks (21-23) are some of my favorites so far. I enjoyed the Parasol block the most, as I hand appliqued the parasol and blanket stitched the handle and tip after fusing them to the background fabric. The two pieced blocks - Girl's Joy (left) and Jack's Delight (right) were a little fiddly to cut and piece, but I love the result!
Much to my surprise, this BOW quilt-along has inspired me to get over my dislike of sampler quilts. I have never been a fan of sampler quilts, maybe because they were so plentiful and predictable and boring back in the 1980s when I was learning to quilt. Sampler quilts are a great learning tool though, because the variety of blocks give quilters the opportunity to practice different quilt-making skills. I think I had forgotten that aspect of the sampler theory and have been re-discovering the fun of taking small bites of a variety of designs and processes. I joined the Grandmother's Choice BOW because I wanted to tangibly participate in a history lesson, but the secondary benefit has been a new appreciation for the benefits of making sampler quilts!
