Friendship Blocks

Every few years, Pioneer Quilters decide to do a friendship block exchange.  Each participant selects a block she'd like to have made for her by the others, and commits to make a block of their choice for each of them. 

The person whose month it is selects her block size and theme or pattern.  She can choose to provide all, some or none of the fabric.  She gives written  instructions and anything else the participants might need.  Sometimes there's a sample block we can look at.

Last spring and summer, members began talking about starting another friendship block exchange.  "It's time," one longtime member told me, when "we have forgotten how hard or stressful the last one was."  Participation is totally optional.  This round, 20 people are signed up, roughly half of our group.  What an adventure--each month is something different,  sometimes stretching our creativity and/or skill level.  It's so fun to see the completed blocks as they are brought in.  And they do trickle in at times, because, well, life is like that.  

Here are some blocks from the first months of our current exchange, which started in September:

Jeanne's tulips:
This block was one of our raffle blocks a few years ago.  Look at the April 20, 2015 blog entry about raffle blocks to see one interesting way of setting them.

Ann's pomegranates:

Robin's crazy quilt:

Block detail

 

Carol's Mariner's Compass:

Wanda's Celtic:

  

Caren's Prince's Feathers:




Blocks for Denise show us what snow people do when we're not watching.  On the right, you get a glimpse of some of the 49 Dresden Plate blocks that we're raffling off during the show.  

Here are photos of several of our quilts made from friendship blocks in previous exchanges:

 I asked our group to share any photos they might have of Friendship Block quilts from the past.  I'm delighted to say that four organized women came forward and showed me photos of many quilts, blocks and instructions from previous exchanges, going back decades.  Thank you Louise, Carol, Joyce and Ann!  What fun it's been to see this piece of Pioneer Quilters' history. 

Detail: