Block Ten with Michele Foster

Wow!  Block time again!  This block is the only thing I have sewn in over a week.  Sad!  I'm glad this block got me into the sewing room for a few minutes!  Today's block is from Michele Foster of the Quilting Gallery. 

Hi everyone!

 Thanks so much to Konda for organizing this super fun quilt-along. I’ve loved seeing all of the star blocks the designers have come up with and the blocks being made in the Flickr group too.

I’m Michele Foster and I own and manage the web site, Quilting Gallery [http://quiltinggallery.com/]. My site is dedicated to bringing quilters together from around the world and inspiring quilters' creativity.

I started quilting many years ago, but took a long hiatus (10 or so years) to start my own business, move to another city (Ottawa, Ontario) and explore other crafting projects (I love to crochet too!).

 One Friday afternoon in December 2007 at the local pub, a group of fellow web developing geeks and I were sitting around chatting when the question was raised, "If you could do anything you wanted, what would be your dream job?" My response, the same as it had been for the last 15+ years, was, "Open a quilt store!"

Of course, my friends around the table didn’t really understand my answer, but it was that afternoon chat that prompted me to start the Quilting Gallery site and re-introduce quilting back into my life. Four years later, I’ve never been happier to have quilting be a huge part of my everyday life.

 My site includes the quilting bloggers directory, quilt shop locator, quilter's market and the quilt guilds directory. I host swaps, weekly quilt contests, challenges, guest bloggers and quilt-alongs too. I also have a brand new section starting in February called the Learning Center hosted by Pat Sloan [http://blog.patsloan.com/]. We’ll be tackling Storage and Organization for the first month.

My block, Milo’s Star, is named after my almost five-month old puppy. Milo came to live with me November 11, 2011. He is a wonderful companion and is full of energy, love and enthusiasm. Pictures are available here: http://quiltinggallery.com/tag/milo/

The fabric I used for my star block was left over from a fat quarter bundle used to make my Happy Memories quilt [http://quiltinggallery.com/2011/07/28/happy-memories-a-quilt-for-me/] in honour of my three kitties that are now on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. It seemed fitting to use that fabric and then name the block after my new baby!

 

Drop by the Quilting Gallery [http://quiltinggallery.com/] or become a friend on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/michele.foster] or Twitter [https://twitter.com/#!/MishkaOttawa] to follow my quilting  journey and Milo’s antics.

Happy Quilting!

Michele

Thanks Michele!

Here's Michele's block called Milo's Star.

Here's my version of Michele's block.  It's a fun variation of an eight pointed star.  The center of the star has a nice place for fussy cutting.

Click HERE for the link to the instructions.

What happens next?

The drawing will be from the flickr group. The drawing tonight (first thing in the morning really) is for any blocks posted since my last block was posted. The drawing is technically for block 9, but any blocks posted will be in the drawing. There will be some of you who are quick and will get your blocks posted.

This block is "due" in two weeks. I say due, but it really doesn't matter. Post your block when you get it done, and it will be entered into the next drawing. If you make one block, post one picture. If you make two blocks, post two pictures.

What's up for grabs this time?

Michele is giving away four copies of both of the Quilter’s Cookbooks [http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-cookbook/] that she’s organized and published as PDF documents. They include family-favourite recipes, quilts and heart-warming stories from quilters around the world.

 

I will also have a quilt book to give away!

Happy Quilting!