COMPLETED BLOCK OF THE MONTH PROGRAMMES
Below are Block of the Month programmes which have run their course and all monthly instalments are now available. If you don't want to get all of the instalments at once, please get in touch and we can probably sort something out. I don't want to think of anybody not being able to make something they love because they can't afford all the instalments in one hit.
ALL PHOTOS OF REAL QUILTS ARE EITHER OF MY OWN OR MY CUSTOMERS' QUILTS
The cost is $2 per month for all programmes.
All of my BoM progammes have dedicated Facebook pages where everybody engaged in working on them can meet up, share progress and generally have a sort of online 'Bee'. Fast friendships around the world have been formed through these and they are really tons of fun! If you would like to do any of my BoM programmes and would like to join the relevant group, just email me on zelda@modernwelshquilts.com and I can add you. There will almost always be somebody at the same stage you are at in the programme so you won't be alone!
STAR PARADE
An unashamedly patriotic eight month programme in shades of good old 'Red, White and Blue'. The photo on the right shows my menfolk modeling my top immediately after I'd finished it whilst on holiday in Southern Spain!
The one below left is one of my customer's completed quilts which now hangs proudly in her hallway!
LOCKDOWN BLUES
This was my contribution to keep us all busy during the first lockdown! As lockdowns of varying lengths dogged us for rather more than anybody originally envisaged, I ended up designing two more patterns - 'Darkness Before Dawn' and 'Sunshine After Shadow' - which together with this one make a triptych of 'Covid' patterns.
It is a six month programme
SWEDISH SOLSTICE
A friend of mine, who has Swedish heritage, suggested I might like to consider designing something in blue, yellow and white to celebrate her ancestry. This was an idea I found intriguing, and hit Google to do some research on Swedish customs and traditions to see if there was anything which sparked my imagination. Discovering there is quite a celebration around the midsummer solstice in Sweden was enough to get me going.. and... this is the result. You can enjoy it, I hope, even if you haven't got a drop of Swedish blood in you, because who doesn't like the idea of the warm, happy, days of summer?
It is a 10 month programme. 
SNOWBLOOMS
A ten month programme which is really aimed at a confident quilter. All the smaller blocks are historic and have names which are botanical in nature, which gives the programme its name.
The design is shown on the left - a detail from one of my client's tops is on the right
MANGO, VANILLA AND FIGAnybody who knows me knows that I love to cook, and so when I received a consignment of mangoes with which to make the coming year's supply ot mango chutney, I got a lot of pleasure out of watching them ripen in the warmth of my kitchen for a few days before I could prep them and the perfume was truly amazing. Coupled with the bowl of figs which sat nearby and the smell of vanilla from my baking it was really a sensory overload... and so the new idea for a design was born. It is just a shame I can't incorporate the wonderful scents into the design too!
REEF ANEMONE
This is a six month programme in response to comments from my customers that they wanted something quick. As a result it does pack quite a lot into each month! All the techniques used, however, are really simple and a confident beginner could tackle this fairly easily
The design is shown on the left, one of my customer's completed tops on the right
BIBBIDI BOBBIDI BOO
Quite often I sit down to design something and something quite different pops out at the other end of the process, and such is the case with this. I needed to write a Pattern of the Month for October and had the vague idea of a 'Halloween palette', so made busy with my design software, a mouse and a cup of tea - what actually ended up being designed was this... which was much more suitable for a Block of the Month. Ah well, nothing is wasted, and we can all have fun along the way with this one too -it's named after the famous song from Disney's 'Cinderella', so ther'es no excuse not to!
SIMPLE TRADITIONS
This is the first in the 'Traditions' range of block of the months from MWQ and is for people who really don't want to be challenged very much, but just have a nice relaxing 'quilt-in'. It is a ten month programme.
SUMMER TRADITIONS A 12 month programme which, being in the 'Traditions' range, is not at all taxing and designed to enable everybody to have an easy, trouble free quilt along.
BIBLE TRADITIONS
This is a 12 month programme using blocks with Biblical names, a central 'God's Eye' block and trailing vines. It is the most difficult of the Traditions quilts, but is not truly taxing.
DELFT DELIGHT
This was an eight month MYSTERY programme and we had so much fun together guessing what the final layout would be. I love teasing my customers sometimes!
O CHRISTMAS TREE
This is a quickie six month programme, with plenty of opportunity to customise it as regards fabrics and the option of leaving out the red twirly thingos at the side if you would like just the 'tree' Complete, it is around 96" x 112"
GOING BACK TO MY ROOTS The 'Tom quilt' as Tom Jones has a version of it on his bed in London! (see pic!)
This is a twelve month programme, with plenty of opportunity to customise it as regards sizes, because I've suggested various options. AS disp[ayed, it is a biggie - 92" x 120" (this is the size Tom has HAHA)
SPICE ISLANDS
This was a strange amalgamation of my wish to do a rainbow quilt and a series of dreams about films set in the Pacific, hence the name.
This is one of the few quilts where I really recommend you use just the fabrics I specify if you want to achieve the same effects. You can see the success my customers have had! The quilt measures around 96" square when finished
WATERMELON WALK
This was the result of me seeing a particularly luscious display of freshly cut watermelon at my local supermarket. I was so entranced by the colours!
The quilt measures about 96" x 104" when complete
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DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN
This design came about because although Wales had been in lockdown longer, the UK as a whole went into its third lockdown shortly after Christmas 2020 and I thought everybody needed something to focus on and work on together to keep our spirits up. I had designed 'Lockdown Blues' in spring 2020 for a similar reason during the first lockdown and there is a third - to make a triptych of 'lockdown' designs - called 'Sunshine After Shadow', both of which are available too.
I took as my inspiration the quote from Victor Hugo 'Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise' . It is a six instalment programme.
SUNSHINE AFTER SHADOW
This is the third in my 'lockdown' series of designs and completes the trilogy (the other two designs are 'Lockdown Blues' and 'Darkness Before Dawn' which are also available on this page). I wanted it to be a very happy and positive design as we all try to put our lives back together after such disruption.
It is an eight month programme
KASBAH
Once again, I originally set out to design something completely different – sparked by a very nice turquoise, rose pink and gold ceiling I had seen in a church somewhere – but what actually popped out at the end of the process was rather more ‘wild’ and obviously more influenced by my interest in Arabic architecture. And so… Kasbah was ‘born’. Whatever the inspiration, I hope you enjoy this colourful journey!
SPRING FROLIC
A joyous eight month romp in springtime colours, reflecting the happiness of new life springing forth in a formal garden. It also has something of the feel of one of the old Baltimore Album quilts, but entirely in piecing. The photo on the right shows is one of my customer's completed quilts on her bed and the one below left is the same quilt, but just a top completed by me!
LAKE HOUSE
Regular long term customers of mine will doubtless recall a couple of years ago a good quilting buddy of mine bought a house by a bay, and I designed the BoM 'Bay House' to celebrate this (and give her something to make to put in the place). Well... another mutual friend of ours has got herself a lake house, and in all conscience I couldn't leave her out, could I? So I am hoping to see pics of this project featuring large on her porch overlooking the lake! This is a 10 month project
HAUTE COUTUREThe Modern Welsh Quilts Facebook page is somewhere I spend a lot of time, and I'm pleased to say it's where a lot of my customers come to hang out as well. One of them posted a picture of a particularly delicious bundle of fabric, not realising I'd been working on a design which used pretty much identical colours. This was following a trip to the V&A Museum in London to see the exhibitIon of Christian Dior gowns, which I found utterly fascinating and which sparked a whole load of ideas of which this is one. A case of serendipity in action!
It is a six month programme
SWEET NOTHINGS
A nine month programme which is a graded progress from easier blocks through to the more complicated.
The design is shown on the left - a detail from one of my client's tops is on the right
LILAC AND LAVENDER
This design stemmed from one of my guilty pleasures - plant collecting - lilac and lavender being two of my favourites. It is a six month programme
KOI CASCADE A ten month programme full of fishy fun
The design is shown on the left - one of my client's tops, slightly altered to suit her needs, is on the right
FINE DINING
This is a ten month programme and tells the story of a group of diners out for the evening in an upscale restaurant. It is a very large quilt (115" square approximately) and was the result of some of my customers asking for a large quilt. It is aimed at more experienced piecers.
The design is shown on the left, one of my customer's finished tops on the right
RETURN TO TRADITION
This is the companion project to 'Simple Traditions' and is another ten month project. The two quilts together will give you a library of 60 blocks from which to choose to make your own future projects! Like all the Traditions range, it doesn't present too many challenges so is perfect for a relaxing creative time!
NEW BEGINNINGS
This programme runs for 12 monthsand is for anybody who really wants to learn to quilt. It is almost obligatory to join the Facebook group for this programme because A LOT of useful information has been placed on there and is a free resource for all members to use. Month 2 is free of charge and needs to be obtained from me personally.
NORDIC STARS
This is a 12 month programme. It is for everybody who really loves blue and white quilts and who doesn't want too hard a time every month constructing the blocks!
PICNIC TRADITIONS
This is an eight month whimsical programme, based on the colouring of my grandparents' old picnic hamper. Like the other Traditions programme it is not at all difficult and leaves plenty of room for visiting and relaxing in your quilting time.
BAY HOUSE
Another eight month programme, Bay House is not at all difficult to make, and leaves lots of clear space for detailed quilting once complete.
SUMMER BOUQUETThis is an eight month programme, giving you plenty of time to play with some beautiful happy summer colours. Complete, it is around 82" x 98"
SPRING MORNING
This was originally a mystery project and I had a lot of fun teasing all the participants with regard to the final layout. The secret's out now, but it is an eight month programme, and I'm sure you'll still have fun making it Complete, it is around 90" x 106"
SCHEHERAZADE
This was the result of me hearing a particularly stirring rendition of Rimsky Korsakov's piece on YouTube. Inspiration comes from from strange sources at times - although I wasn't expecting it to turn out so '60s funky'!
The quilt measures about 84" x 104" when complete 
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Dyfal donc y dyr y garreg - the English equivalent is 'Slow and steady wins the race'