This was such a fun project. At the beginning of the year we each brought a cookie tin filled with a block of our choice, and asked the people in our group to add to it. We included a small notebook that outlined our ideas for the project, and a bit of fabric if we wanted.

Since this was the 25^th anniversary of the Guild, and I’m one of the newest quilters, I asked for blocks that recreated either the first block they made, or a block from their first quilt. The pieces I received were all outstanding, and the stories that were included in my notebook are wonderful memories of some of the quilters I most admire in the Guild.

My biggest challenge was to put them all together. All of the blocks were different sizes, but I was able to trim and add borders to even them up. Since I’m new, I didn’t think to keep back enough matching fabric to put together the sashing so I had to dig into my stash to find something that “sort of” worked with the colors. I wasn’t sure I would like the piece when it was finished so I didn’t want to spend any money on it. I bought the backing at the Economy Shop and used it for the binding as well.

I made this Sudoku quilt for my friend Deb, who started the Pay It Forward challenge on Facebook. Deb (and her husband Paul) were among the first people we met when we moved to Powell River. Deb is very involved in the community and I see her at all sorts of events.

I enjoyed picking out a puzzle from the diabolical section of the book and then converting the puzzle into fabrics.

Do you do Sudoku Deb?

This was a completely new technique for me. I’ve seen folks working on small pieces with something stuck inside but never knew what they were doing. Now that I know I can join the club. I wouldn’t make these particular blocks again, but I there are other interesting patterns out there using this method.

I used a cereal box to make the templates for this first block. They kept the shape very well, but the cardboard was difficult to baste through. The templates were strong enough that they can be used many times.

I used cardstock to make the templates for this block. Although they were much easier to baste through, I’m not sure they held the shape as well. Or perhaps my original template was a bit wonky.