Woo hoo! Welcome to the last block release Friday for the Sewcialites 2 Quilt-Along! It’s hard to believe that for 24 weeks straight we’ve working together toward this day, now and we’ve finally made it! Block #24 – “Energize” just so happens to be my block contribution to the quilt-along so let me tell you a little about it! When Fat Quarter Shop sent over the quilt-along details for Sewcialites 2 they asked us to create a block we’re crazy about – meaning either crazy for it in a good way, or a block that drove us crazy in a bad way. Personally, one type of block that drives me crazy in a bad way are those that contain stitch and flip corners. Reason being is that I really hate making blocks that waste fabric. At the same time, I also realize that sometimes an exception is in order because the end result is super cool and worth a little bit of squander.

“Energize” is an intermediate level block that uses corner squares to create beautiful star points. It has three sections and goes easily together in nine-patch fashion. As you can see, block units include four three patches, four corner square units, and the center square. On the plus side, the stitch and flip method is much faster than cutting out the pieces and sewing across the diagonal on the bias. Even though you may end up with a bit of scrap, depending on the size of the leftover pieces you can either toss them, or stitch again 1/4″ away from the cutting line (before you cut away the corner) and have another half square triangle conveniently ready for your next project.

As I have done for the entire quilt, for this block I’m using my Garden Gatherings fabric line, leaving out the five tans. I chose to go with a ditsy navy blue tiny floral print on yellow combined with another red floral print on dark pink, and a larger gold floral print on navy for the center. For the background as always I used a selection from the Garden Gathering Shirtings Collection, #49176 15 – a cream fabric with an adorable tiny mustard/orange floral print. We might be on the final block of our Sewcialites 2 journey but that doesn’t mean it will no longer be accessible. If you’ve been thinking about making this quilt but have yet to start no worries! One of the things I love most about this quilt-along is that you can do it on your time, however your schedule allows. Many of the blocks are fairly simple to make and can be done in an afternoon, so catching up is a snap once you get started. Patterns for previously posted blocks can be found on the Sewcialites 2 Landing Page by clicking the button below. You can also visit the Sewcialites 2 Block Archive on my blog which is listed in the main menu of links at the top of the page. I will leave it up indefinitely in case you ever need to reference back.

Newly released blocks are posted on Kim’s blog The Jolly Jabber, along with video tutorials on her YouTube Channel. Each designer has also posted their own blocks to either their blog or their website. Fabric requirements and all block patterns are on the  Sewcialites 2 Landing Page, which you can access by clicking the link below.

Next week we’ll wrap things up with finishing options for this quilt-along so watch for that post on Friday. Going forward I will be trading in Sewcialites 2 for Fat Quarter Shop’s annual charity quilt-along which they are calling “Bountiful” this year. If you’re not familiar, each year Fat Quarter Shop does a charity quilt-along as a fundraising quilt for Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and this year marks the 10th. I’m proud to once again be participating in this awesome charitable event, 100% designed to benefit kids in need by using our own talent and skill.

The fundraiser works by offering the “Bountiful“ patterns as FREE downloads during the event for a suggested donation to the Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas campaign. Patterns will be featured on the Fat Quarter Shop’s blog, The Jolly Jabber on the first Friday of each month, now through September, 2023. They do not require it, but highly encourage that a $10.00 donation be made for the pattern if you’re able to do so. Proceeds go to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. If you’d rather make a donation directly to Make-A-Wish, follow the link below! Want to know more? Click HERE to read my blog post where I explain it all in more detail. Well friends, I guess that’s that! Time to start thinkin’ a little less about the week, and a little more about the weekend. It is an absolutely gorgeous day that is darn near demanding me to get out there for some sunshine. A few evenings ago I did a 20+ mile ride on my eBike and it was just great. I can’t wait for my next one! I better hurry up and get another ride under my belt in the next day or two since they’re calling for temps in the 80’s through Saturday and then by Sunday… You guessed it. MORE SNOW! C’mon Mother Nature! This quit being funny a while ago. It was amusing for a minute there, but now it’s purely obnoxious. Ahh well, you know the drill. If that really does happen I’ll have all the more reason to stitch! 

Before I go riding my bike off into the sunset let’s give away a few prizes. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who continue to leave me comments each post! Last week over the Easter holiday I had an overwhelming amount of well wishes and sweet comments to read and I loved every one of them. To honor the holiday and of course to show my appreciation I think double prizes are in order so… Put your hands together for Diane L., Amy P., Cathy B., and Caryn B.! Congratulations! You are my lucky winners this week (note: I do not post last names or email addresses for your privacy, so if you think you’re one of the lucky winners this week please be sure to check your email. You can also contact Heidi at heidin@primitivegatherings.us if you have not already received a prize confirmation letter from her. If you think you are a winner but have not received a prize confirmation email, be sure to check your spam folder – it’s not often but our emails will sometimes end up there)!!!

I really hope you enjoy your weekend and manage to get outside for some fresh air. I’ll see you next week Monday back here on the blog and then LIVE Tuesday during our next CommentSold broadcast, which will air at 10:00 a.m. Remember, you can tune in to watch on either the Primitive Gatherings facebook page, or in the STITCH with Lisa Bongean Facebook group. Speaking of CommentSold, are you having any fun yet??? We sure are! If you couldn’t already tell, the girls and I have really been having a blast with this new selling platform and it seems like many of you are too. What do you think so far? If you’ve given it a try let me know what you think in the comments. Still iffy on it? I highly recommend checking it out… Even if you don’t plan to buy you can always tune in and watch to see what it’s all about. It’s a lot of fun and suuuuppper easy – a bit TOO easy really. It’s like QVC for quilters! If that doesn’t spell trouble I don’t know what does… The good kind, of course! If you want to participate but still need to get registered, simply hit the button below to sign up! If you’re not familiar with CommentSold and want to know more, click HERE to read my blog post where I explain it all. Take care everyone and see you soon! ~Lisa