Sewing With Squeak: Quilt Along Love

I love all sew-a-long related. I hadn't had much luck finding any this year. The one I was participating in last year was put on hold due to a pregnancy and just started up again (which I am thrilled about!). But one per month just wasn't going to cut it for me. After looking around on some of the blogs I follow I discovered quilt-a-longs... I am now participating in the following:

Vintage Quilt-A-Long with Fabric Mutt
Zakka Sew-A-Long with LRStitched
Amy Butler Style Stitches Sew-A-Long with Bree @ My Crafty Crap
Super Penguin Quilt-A-Long with Pink Penguin

I'm definitely looking to make this list longer so let me know of any interesting ones that you come across!

I have to admit that the Super Penguin Block 1 almost got the best of me. I have only done two quilts in the past and they were just 5 inch squares sewed together. I had no idea what I was doing at the time (and still don't). So when I came across the Super Penguin Quilt-A-Long and decided I HAD to participate, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After trying to figure it out on my own, wasting a lot of time, and much frustration, I was left with a slightly off kilter but okay looking section for my first block. After another false start, I decided to swallow my pride and Google how to use a pieced pattern. That helped a little and I managed to make yet another so-so looking section. Then came UTube...the next, and hardest, piece came off without a hitch, and now I'm hooked.

They still need a little bit of work and I wish I had chosen a more contrasting set of fabrics for the one on the right, but all in all I'm pretty pleased with how I have done on this so far. There is one more section to block one that I hope to have made tonight so I can put the entire thing together. I'm trying to use up some of my stash of scrap fabric so this will be a very colorful quilt by the time I'm done :)

I'm having some technical difficulties this morning (sounds better than I just can't figure it out, right?) so these pictures are not right side up. They are the first two blocks for my Vintage Holiday Quilt. I decided to go with traditional holiday fabrics. They recommended using a light colored solid for the background but I couldn't resist this reindeer fabric when I saw it. After looking at the flicker group photos and seeing other people's quilts, I may have to make another one using non-traditional Christmas fabrics.