2024 Color Challenge

It's time for the 2024 

Monthly Color Challenge. 

Jen over at Patterns by Jen, always a great way to start a new year and 2024 is no different! 

Jen is the "hostess with the mostest" of the Monthly Color Challenge, and I'm thrilled to join her again for my 6th year. 

Each month, Jen will pick a color and a quilt block featuring that color. Not only does she choose a block, she provides instruction on how to make that block. The instructions are FREE during the featured month, but can be purchased for $1 after that. 

Jen always finds a fun way to introduce each month's color and she's done it again for 2024. Each month will be introduced via a fish, and I don't mean a simple, basic fish. Just take a look at this list! What fun!!    

January - Green Tiger Barb (Green)

February - Discus (Orange)

March - Cherry Barb (Red)

April - Electric Blue Hap (Blue)

May - Electric Yellow Lab (Yellow)

June - Harlequin Rasboras (Raspberry)

July - Duboisi Cichlid (Silver)

August - Purple Dottyback (Purple)

September - Kuhli Loach (Brown)

October - Wrought Iron Butterfly (Black)

November - Gourami (Teal)

December - Marigold Wag Swordtail (Gold) 

Jen's has lots more information on her blog, so why not jump over and read more about. 

2024 Monthly Color Challenge Introduction

Let's get started! 

January - The Green Tiger Barb

January's Block Pattern

I have to be honest and say that I have never heard of the Green Tiger Barb. I did a quick internet search and found some lovely pictures; and I must say, this is quite a pretty fish. 

Thanks to its fluorescent green body, this fish will not be overlooked in any tank! While there are variations, the green body, with silver and gold blotches are topped off with really cool orange fins, making these fish a beautiful sight.

The Green Tiger Barb is know for being quite active and they like to have lots of plants in their aquariums. 

They also like their friends! Like most quilters I know, the Green Tiger Barbs don't particularly like being alone and should be put in schools of six or more.   

While Jen has made her blocks with two different greens, I chose to make mine with a single green and a white/silver dot background. The general rule is a fat quarter of light and a fat quarter of dark will be enough for each block.

The finished size of each month's block will be 12".

I will be keeping my background consistent all year. If you would like to do the same, Jen has all the information on how to do that, and even has information on how to cut the background for all 12 months most efficiently. WooHoo!

Use this link and scroll down the page a bit to find where to get the pdf for that. 

Here are the fabrics I've chosen. Don't you think the green texture kind of looks like fish scales? I do and am going to attempt to have each month's color print have a similar texture. 

This month's block is one of my all-time favorite blocks - Square in a Square.

Jen's instructions are very well written and one of the things I like is that block units are oversized and will be trimmed to the actual size needed. Doing this also helps keep all those beautiful points. No cut off tips here. I LOVE that!

This unit looks a bit untidy and rough... 

but once it's trimmed, it looks great! 

You will be making some flying geese units and those are oversized as well. 

Click HERE for my tutorial on how I like to trim those unit and get perfect flying geese every time. 

 

Jen provides pressing instructions for all of her blocks. While she likes to press seams to one side; lately, I've found that I am more successful with accurate points when I press my seams open. 

But...honestly, I don't think there really is a right or wrong way to press seams or do most of anything sewing-related. Generally, I say that as long as it's safe, whatever method is easiest for you and provides you with the results that make you happy, then that's the method you should follow. :-) 

I had a lot of fun making this block and I'm looking forward to making the remaining eleven. Who's going to join me?

Patterns by Jen - January Monthly Color Challenge

Don't you think that my background in this picture looks like the bottom of a stream? I think so. It's actually our back patio, but I like it and plan to take pictures of each of my finished blocks there. We'll see if that happens, especially if there is snow when I finish the block.  LOL

Color Challenge - May

This month's color is green and the bird is the Budgerigar

For the pattern and block instructions, head on over to 

Jen's blog - Patterns by Jen

This is a beautiful bird that lives in the inland of Australia. It's basically nomadic and moves around looking for wherever food and water is available. (Gee, that sounds about what I have been doing the last few weeks - going back and forth to the kitchen, looking for food and drink.  😅  Unfortunately, I don't look near as pretty as this bird.)  

These birds typically travel together in small groups, but they have been known to join together in very large flocks to travel. 

When that happens, it can be quite a sight to see and hear.  

Click HERE to listen to a single Budgerigar, as well as a flock of them. 

I think it's a very pretty sound.

Speaking of pretty, look at the close up of these two! 

This bird is beautiful and I can see quilt colors in it - green, black, yellow, blue, and teal. This is a good reminder that when I get stuck while choosing fabrics and colors, all I need to do is take a break and just look to nature. 

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I like green - all variations of the color - and use it often in my quilts.

Here's my latest - Peaks and Valleys, a pattern by Tamarinis. (Tammy is one of the bloggers this month. How cool is that?!)

The green is very close to the green on these birds. 

Click HERE for more pictures of this quilt.

Here's my Wayward Transparency Quilt - a Quilting Jetgirl pattern. It may not be the same green, but it's one of my favorite quilts so I had to show it.

I've used a variety of greens in some of the Hoop Quilts that I've made. 

There are quite a few more, including Christmas quilts, but it time to get back to the Color Challenge blocks.  :-)

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Here are my fabrics

Yep! That's a Christmas batik that I'm using, but I knew that it would be ok because of the sizes that the pieces are cut. It was exactly what I wanted, and just like all the other batiks I'm using, I bought it when I was in FL last Dec. attending a workshop at 

Once Upon a Quilt.

I was thinking about that shop the other day when it was raining here. I was reminded of how bright and beautiful everything was there, even in Dec. The beauty from outside continued inside the shop too - so many colors and fabrics!  

Look at these beautiful batiks...

And that bottom shelf is full of green fabric...

Sorry - as you can tell, I'm easily distracted when it comes to fabric...

My cut pieces...

My sewn units, ready to be made into blocks

My blocks...

See what I mean about the Christmas fabric working ok? 

I REALLY like this block! The chain effect that is created is so different and fun. I think I'm going to use this in another quilt in which I'm trying to decide what to use for the alternate block.  

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Go to Jen's Blog to get this month's block instructions. While you're there, be sure to check out our sponsors and all the awesome prizes available.

And you certainly don't want to miss out on the other bloggers participating this month. I love seeing all the different fabrics people are using. It's such great inspiration for future projects. 

Patterns by Jen

Quilt'n Party

Scrap Dash

Tamarinis

Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio