these are the quilters in my neighborhood* -

At least I wish all of you were. I've written before about how much inspiration and friendship I get from my neighborhood quilting group. If I could make it happen, I think I'd move all of the Common Threads quilters to the Chicago area so they could join me every Tuesday. As it is, I have to settle for having you in my internet neighborhood.

Recently a friend gave me a copy of Material Obsession by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke. They have a quilt in there that makes me think of my circle of quilting friends both at home and on the computer -

The 'Burbs

This month I'd like all of you to make a block representing yourselves. I've included in the packages some directions if you want them, but these ladies are pretty varied in size and style, so please feel free to improvise. Add some extras if you'd like to embellish yourself (buttons, ribbons, doilies, lace), just be sure that it's washable. This quilt isn't going on the wall, I plan to curl up in it and use it daily.

Below are the block background fabrics and "fleshtones". Please feel free to swap out the fabric for the face and hands if you have more melanin than me. Sadly, the off white muslin is actually very close to my skin tone at this point in the year. The only thing I ask for those parts of the block is that they are made with a solid fabric and are left blank - like Amish dolls.

All the ladies in the quilt happen to be wearing dresses, but if you're a jeans and tee shirt kind of girl, go ahead and make yours that way. As you can see below, most of the dress fabrics I've included are floral and springy. I'm fine with substitutions, in fact, I'd welcome anything from your stash that's a representation of who you are as a person or quilter. I only ask that if you prefer to wear black everyday that you choose a brighter print with black as an accent to keep with the tone of the quilt. After I took this picture I added a few more prints in purples with some more geometrics on them, so I'm not stuck on just florals, but I do want the quilt to read as happy and bright. I'll also include a small piece of dark brown for the boots/legs. Again, if you like to be barefoot, use the flesh tone. If you have a favorite pair of red shoes, use a piece of red fabric. It's up to you.

The size of the blocks can vary and I'm happy with either a rectangle or a square. I'd prefer that no dimension be smaller than 6" or larger than 12" finished.

I can't wait for all of you to start showing up in my mailbox!

*click here if you want that classic Sesame Song in your head for the rest of the day