Say it With Flowers ~ Our New 2024 Quilt Block of the Month

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Start spreading the news!!!! Yes, it is finally (almost) here! Our 2024 Block of the Month, which I have named “Say it With Flowers”!

Like last year, this is an introductory post to tell you about our new block of the month and how it will work this year…..

Last year I tried something new that didn’t quite work…. so this year we’ll be going back to the old ways and hopefully we won’t have any computer glitches!

First of all though, let me tell you a bit more about the BOM and its name.

Say it With Flowers

The name of this year’s BOM is a nod to my Dutch background and heritage, where flowers are brought into the home as part of everyday life…

I don’t know if you know, but I spent most of my teenage years in the Netherlands. My family is Dutch, but I was not born there and didn’t actually go and live there until I was a teenager. Oh, there was one year when I was 9 that I lived in Holland too… but most of my years there were from when I was 12 till 17.

All cultures are different and have certain customs and characteristics. One of the things about Holland is that they LOVE flowers… well, when you think of the Netherlands, you probably associate it with windmills and tulips – right?!

Flowers play a big part in Dutch culture. When you go and visit someone for a meal, or sometimes just for coffee, or for a birthday.. you bring flowers. It’s just a given.

You can buy flowers in shops everywhere – florists, markets, supermarkets, and it is a common sight to see people riding their bikes with a bouquet of flowers in their hands or baskets… growing up we always had flowers in the home – they were on the grocery list like other non-food items.

Fast forward to when I came back to Australia to live when I was 19. I found out that instead of flowers, people here bring “a plate”. Or a drink. I learned that bringing “a plate” meant you brought a plate with some food on it – biscuits (cookies), salad, meat.. whatever suited the occasion. Not flowers. I got some odd looks when I arrived with flowers….. so I soon learned that was not the thing to do!

Don’t get me wrong, many people here in Australia do have flowers in their homes – however, I think they generally pick them from their own gardens. Buying bouquets of flowers is done more for special occasions, rather than a regular thing like in Holland.

Back to the name of this BOM – “Say it With Flowers”….

When I lived in Holland, florists had a slogan: “Zeg Het Met Bloemen” (translated: Say it With Flowers) and that has stuck in my mind ever since!

It’s a way of saying – I love you, thank you, you’re special, etc….

So when I decided to keep things simple, just a quilt block and a simple embroidered flower in the middle, I thought “Say it With Flowers” would be a good name for it!

Even though the flowers are simple, I hope they will still bring a smile to your face and that you will enjoy stitching them.

And with this BOM I am saying to you that I appreciate you and your support of my blog!

Side note

I alternate between saying Holland and The Netherlands…… Yes…… Because when I lived there over 35 years ago, we just said Holland…

But as of 1-1-2020 according to this news article, the government “rebranded” to The Netherlands….. English article here.

I still use Holland more than the Netherlands.. sorry government marketing people! Holland just rolls off the tongue more easily…..

How Will the 2024 Block of the Month Work?

How Many Blocks Will There Be?

As in past block of the month quilts, there will be 9 blocks. I will be posting each month’s block on the blog here with a direct link to the pdf. You will not need to sign up for anything, it will just be easy to click and download.

When Will the Blocks Be Posted?

​I don’t have exact dates for you, but I am once again aiming for the fourth Wednesday of the month. I have three blocks completely finished, and hopefully will be able to stay ahead this year!!!!!!

How many Months will this BOM Take?

All of my BOMs so far have been 9-month programs and this one will be too.  We are starting in March and finishing in November.

What Size and Shape Quilt will it be?

Once again our BOM will be a square quilt. The finished quilt will be 49″ x 49″ including borders

Is this a Free or Paid for BOM?

Say it with Flowers is essentially a free BOM, for a short time….

Each new block will be free for a month, after which it will be for sale in my new shop for a small fee. 

Of course, since I closed down my Etsy shop, I haven’t yet quite worked out what my new shop will look like, so I would say the first few blocks will be free for more than a month!

Do I need to Keep up Each Month?

No, you don’t need to worry if you can’t stitch along every month with us, you can go at your own pace. Just be sure to download the blocks while they are free!

What Skill Level is Needed for this BOM?

The BOM is suitable for all skill levels, but since I am trying to keep it simple, it will be a great way for beginners to start their embroidery and quilting journey!

The stitches I usually use are the easy ones – running stitch, back stitch, lazy daisy, French, or Colonial knots… but if they are too easy for you, please feel free to use any embroidery stitch you like. I love to see variations of my designs by people who are better at embroidery than I am!!

What will the Quilt look like?

I’ve been playing with EQ and this is kind of what the quilt top will look like:

As you can see, all the blocks will be the same pattern, it’s just the flower embroideries in the centers that will be different. I’ve also made the blocks scrappy, with 19 fabrics, two different ones in each block. I sewed all the blocks up in advance and you can do that too if you like, or just sew them up as you go each month.

Fabric I am Using

I am using a fat quarter pack of Lori Holt’s …….. and some other yardage for the borders. I bought mine from the Fat Quarter Shop, but you can use your own fabric of course. 

I am using the Calico fabric range from Lori Holt for the blocks:

I will probably use Lori’s new range of fabric “Mercantile” for the sashing, cornerstones, and borders.

Materials Needed to make this quilt

• 1 yard of background fabric
• 16 different types of scraps (less than a fat 1/8th needed)
• Fat 1/8th scrap for corner stones
• 1/4 yard for sashing
• 1 1/2 yards for borders
• Batting and Backing
• General Sewing and Quilting supplies

Well, I think that is all I need to tell you about our new BOM… if I have forgotten anything (highly likely), please let me know in the comments.. any questions? Just ask!

Thank you!

Once again I’d like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to all of you who have participated in past BOMs and who have left sweet encouraging comments! It really makes my day when I see you enjoying our designs, and also seeing the different ways you stitch up the quilts! So thank you, thank you, and I hope you accept these flowers this year as a token of my appreciation!

In closing….. and the most Important Question of All

When do we start?

Tomorrow!!!

I’ll see you then!

PS Please share!!

I would love it if you could share this post and details of the BOM on your blogs and socials! Thank you!

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