Jami Smith sent this photo of her version of Blooming Joy, the 2025 block of the month. She left the setting triangles free from applique which focuses your attention directly on the blocks. I like this quilt a lot!
Jami says:
“I love looking at this, it brings me so much joy. I think all the colors ans fun flowers. I also really enjoyed making it, gave me a sense of peace and calm.
Again thank you for sharing your talent and inspiration. “
Thank you Jamie, for sharing your quilt with us! That feeling of peace and calm that comes with handwork is one of my favorite parts of sewing ❤️.
One of the things I love most about Buttonwood Village is that it gives you options. There isn’t just one right way to make this quilt—you get to choose the version that fits your space, your time, and your stitching mood.
Option 1: The Original Village The original Buttonwood Village features 9 house blocks surrounded by 20 border blocks, finishing at 60˝ x 60˝. This version feels complete and cozy, with the houses nestled right into their own little neighborhood.
Option 2: Houses Only I know some of you prefer a smaller wall quilt. You can make just the 9 house blocks, add a 3˝ border, and end up with a sweet 46˝ x 46˝ quilt. Simple, charming, and absolutely perfect.
Option 3: Border Blocks on Their Own
The border blocks measure 10˝ x 10˝, and if you make all twenty of them, they can be set together into a more traditional quilt that finishes at 46˝ x 56˝. It’s a great option if you fall in love with the border designs and want to let them shine.
You don’t need to decide right now. Just tuck these possibilities into the back of your mind as the Block of the Month moves forward. One project, three paths—and plenty of room to make it your own. 😊
Kathy Sue sent me this photo of her finished quilt. It’s wonderful!
Kathy wrote:
I love your patterns, especially My Whimsical Quilt Garden!!!! It turned out adorable. It made me so happy, every stitch I took. I never made a quilt that was so much fun!!!!! Thank you Becky
Thank you, Kathy, for the kind words! I am so glad that making this quilt brought you joy 😊.
Anna Maria’s Zinnia print first came out years ago and since then it has been reissued in different colors. I love them all! Not sure which one I bought first, but it could have been this one:
Each flower is 3 3/4″ wide by 3″ tall if you count the stem. The spacing is tight in all the right ways. but I do wonder if some people shy away from it because the flowers are larger than your typical “small” print. Personally? I don’t mind one bit. As I said… I LOVE this fabric and have it in every color.
I haven’t pieced with it yet, but I will. I even have a stack of Kaffe stripes that would be perfect with these zinnias—later. When I have time. Right now I’m deep into Buttonwood Village and have already found three perfect places for a flower to sneak in.
The flower becomes a treeIs that a pineapple bush?The flower is a palm tree!
One flower becomes a tree. Another becomes a pineapple bush? And the third one could be a palm tree!
That’s the thing about bigger prints: if you avoid them, you miss out on so much fun. I encourage you to give them a try—you might be surprised where a big, beautiful print can take you 🌸.
Welcome to Buttonwood Village—my newest Block of the Month! I hope you are excited to get started and the place to begin is with fabric :-).
The first decision to make is your background, because everything else is built on top of it. I pieced my backgrounds from more than one fabric, but you may prefer to use just a single fabric—and either choice works beautifully. I chose a light, almost-solid off-white with tiny slubs of color woven in. From there, I added light blue prints (because… sky!) and a few light tan prints to give the background a little more visual weight.
For the border block backgrounds, I switched things up just a bit. I’m using a cotton/linen blend in a slightly darker tan. Since there isn’t an inner border strip in this quilt, that change in value—and texture—helps visually separate the border from the interior of the quilt. It’s a subtle shift, but an important one.
With the backgrounds settled, it was time for the fun part: coloring the village. I raided my scrap bins first, pulling out all those small, lovely pieces that I just couldn’t part with. You’ll notice there’s a little bit of almost every color in the mix—that variety is exactly what gives the village its charm.st colors.
Next, I visited my stash to fill in a few gaps and expand my color palette. I won’t use everything you see here, and I may add more as I go. This part is meant to be flexible and playful. Gather the colors and fabrics that you love, see how the colors talk to each other, and remember—you can always adjust along the way.
Once you have assembled the fabric, your village will be ready to come to life, one block at a time.
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