After months and months of anticipation, it's finally here.

This...

And this!

It's our time!  We get to sew, to make quilts, to sew, to create neat stitchy-stuff, to sew, to have fun, to sew with friends, etc.  Okay, so I hope you're doing that every month but this month is extra-special.  If someone asks if we're "sewing again?", we get to reply that we're celebrating an important national event!  Betsy Ross?  Without her, there wouldn't be a Flag Day and the 4th of July... I rest my case.

So stock up on ready-to-eat meals, lay in a supply of your "sewing snack" of choice and pull out a new package of rotary cutting blades because it's National Sewing Month!

(The observance of National Sewing Month began in 1982 with a proclamation from President Ronald Reagan declaring September as National Sewing Month “In recognition of the importance of home sewing to our Nation.”)

Zippers.  Make sure to stock up on zippers... okay, maybe that's just me.

Help me.  I can't stop making zipper bags.  This was made using scraps - literally! - from the cuttings left after making the headers/cap-sets for the sales reps.  The prints are from the "coming soon" Regent Street 2015 Lawns collection and the base-fabric is the new Barkcloth.  It's a little thicker than the Mochi Linen but it is so dreamy-soft - I'm looking forward to playing sewing with this for other projects.  The bag pattern is the Wide Open Zipper Bag by Anna Graham - Noodlehead.

Maybe you'll get to make something like this...

The first Frivol shipped a few weeks ago and the next one ships by the end of this week.  After months and months of having this "in the works", it was pretty cool when the first finished Frivols arrived in the office.  (I admit, they still didn't seem quite real... but they sure looked good.)

The first Frivol is with Hello Darling by Bonnie & Camille.  You knew that, right?  The title of this quilt is Kindred.  This was one of the blocks I drew up before we knew what the fabric collections would be.  When Hello Darling was chosen, I knew this would fit the fabrics well, and I liked the association of an Album Block with Bonnie and Camille.  The block is associated with family, friendship and community, and that's them, Moda's first mother-daughter design duo.

I also knew that the block was one of Camille's favorites, she had used it for Vintage, a quilt in her best-selling book, Simply Retro.  So while this was in the planning stages, I asked if she had any objections to our using this block for this quilt.  I don't recall the exact reply but it was something to the effect of "I didn't invent the block... it's in every block book... are you kidding?".

The block is relatively easy to piece - it's just squares, rectangles and setting triangles.  The only thing that will mess anybody up is seam allowance - this is one of those blocks where accuracy matters.

There is one important thing to mention about the block and pattern - a discrepancy that is the result of a new pattern-writing process for many of us.  The numbers in the pattern are correct but there is still an error.

In the Kindred pattern, the setting squares are cut at 3 1/4" x 3 1/4", and it states that the squares are cut over-sized to allow for trimming.  Trimming instructions are provided.  The 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" size is for true-to-size piecing.  With accurate - perfect - cutting, seam allowance and pressing, the blocks will measure exactly 9" x 9".  Only the four corners will need to be trimmed.

As originally written, those squares were to be cut at 3 1/2" x 3 1/2", and the yardage is calculated for cutting the strips and squares to that size.  During the technical editing process, the numbers were changed to the exact-piecing size.  That wouldn't be a problem except that the pattern says the squares are over-sized.

So I goofed.  When I did one of the final proofs of the pattern, I should have compared the pattern to my original notes.  The "new" numbers are correct but the pattern is misleading... so it's wrong.  And I'm sorry for that.

If there is an upside, it's that we've gone over our process to ensure that we get better.  The next three "finished" Frivols patterns have been re-read, re-proofed and re-tested.

So if you haven't cut out your background squares yet - where it has you cutting 3 1/4" strips and squares, make that 3 1/2".

I did make a couple of the Maker blocks - enough to make something cute to use right away.  The block instructions are on the really cute quote/block cards included the Frivol.  We asked the designers of the fabric collections to send us one of their favorite quotes, and it's been a lot of fun to learn a little bit about them by reading their selections.

We're posting blocks and quilts to Instagram and Facebook using the #modafrivols tag. 

Yes, making more blocks is on my "to do list" for September.  I am hoping to make a small sampler quilt using one of each block... and another larger quilt using multiples of each block - the same block, just made differently to make them look like different blocks.  And both sizes - yes, I'm making both sizes of blocks.  At least that's my plan... we'll see how that goes.

And more of these.  Really.  I'm obsessed.

These are the Moda Crossweaves - the textures.  (The 12120 SKUs instead of the 12119s.)  And another Open Wide bag.

I'm also going to try to finish my Log Cabin Swap quilt.  Did I ever show you my blocks?  This picture was taken before the blocks were cut into quarters and swapped.

(If you're on Instagram - #logcabinswapfun)

So what are you going to sew this month?

Happy Monday!