Block 10 in the RBD 2026 Block Challenge Sew Along sewn in pinks and blues

March Check-in: Riley Blake Designs 2026 Block Challenge

March 31, 2026March 31, 20261 Comment

It’s the last Tuesday of the month, and if you’re participating in the Riley Blake Designer Block Challenge Sew Along, that means it’s the catch-up and showcase day for the blocks that you’ve made thus far. So here are the blocks I’ve made:

Block 1: Four Corners, by Lori Holt

Block 2: Spin Around, by Amy Smart

Block 3: Starry Bloom, by Cherry Guidry

Block 8: Turning Point, by Sandy Gervais

Block 10: Plus One, by Amber Elliot

I am behind on the schedule, but I have sewn up five of the ten released blocks. It’s a new color palette for me and I was getting really nervous that I had accidentally imagined that these colors would work with each other, but as more blocks go up on my design wall, the less anxious I feel about the palette. I think it’s going to work out very nicely in the end.

The story behind the color palette is: My front room’s couches are a weird shade of green that I originally thought was an aqua/teal blue when I picked them out in the showroom eight years ago, but have had to concede that they are indeed a bluish-sage green of sorts, which does not match my otherwise aqua and teal décor in that part of the house. So I’m pivoting my color palette in that part of the house, and this quilt will be a part of that transition. I’m still figuring out what works, color-wise.

I stumbled across two images of throw pillows designed by Caitlin Wilson, which use that weird shade of green in a color palette that looks really pretty to me, so I decided to embrace it. I’m already a collector of blue and white china patterns, which are featured in her particular decorating aesthetic, so I’m going to accept this happy discovery as kismet and move forward with it enthusiastically.

I am using Riley Blake Confetti Cotton Solids in the following colors to match the colors in the pillows:

“Couch Green”/Sage Green: Raindrop
Jade Green: Cozy
Navy: Oxford Blue
Powder Blue: Boy Blue
Medium Periwinkle: Periwinkle
Dark Periwinkle: Forget-me-not
Dark Pink: Grapefruit
Light Pink: Peaches ‘n Cream
White: Cloud

I will be substituting my own design for one of the blocks because I’m just not into it. It hasn’t been released yet, so I don’t know when that change will pop up on my schedule, but it’s the one block that looks like the sun rising behind mountains—no offense to the designer of that particular block, but it just doesn’t match well enough to the other blocks to make me happy and I’m going to lean into the fact that I am the boss of my own quilts and can make substitutions when I want.

The sew along will end at the end of May, so we’re getting there…I’ll need to up my sewing time on this! There will be another three blocks released in April, so the goal is to have those three, plus the five I’m behind on, sewn up…so I guess I’m shooting for two blocks a week for the next month. Fingers crossed!

Patterns for the blocks are free and can be found here on the Riley Blake Designs website.

Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Block 3 "Cabin Life", sewn by Cara Brooke of That Crafty Cara

Sewcialites 3 Sew Along: March Check-in

March 27, 2026March 27, 20261 Comment

I am having so much fun participating in this sew along! I haven’t done a sew along years, but have had my eye on some in recent years and I’m so glad I decided to just go with it and jump in this year! We all know I love Fat Quarter Shop, and part of that love stems from their well-written and well-organized patterns and sew alongs, so it’s fun to be caught up in the fun of something like this again. It’s giving big Farm Girl Vintage vibes from way back in the day.

The sew along is still rather new, so if you want to join in you totally should!

Like all quilters do at the beginning of a new quilt, I had to decide on a color palette. I like to add constraints and restrictions when I’m figuring out my color palettes, and I also really love to use community sew alongs as an excuse to work through a problem area in my scrap bins. I’ve noticed, over the past few years, that my green scrap bins have been bursting at the seams, but whenever I go to work through my green scraps, most of them are a yellow-green color, which isn’t a color I like to work with that much. For this sew along I decided I’d try to work through as many of those yellow green/lime green scraps as possible.

As I thought about a cohesive color palette that incorporated yellow-greens, I had a flash of inspiration: Cherry Limeade. Citrusy colors and fruity visuals. It’s always fun when a color palette excites you. I committed and haven’t regretted it one bit. I am LOVING this quilt.

The sixth block pattern will be published today, but I wanted to do a round-up post at month’s end, so I’ll just be showing the first five blocks I’ve made up until now. Block 6 will happen…sometime next week, probably, given the craziness of this weekend’s schedule.

Block 1: “Idyllic”

Block 2: “Twinsies”

Block 3: “Cabin Life”

Block 4: “Spring Wind”

Block 5: “Little Love”

Thoughts on the Setting Blocks

Looking at the final layout for the finished quilt, I’m aware of the setting blocks and realizing I’d probably prefer to make them ahead of time, rather than waiting for the release of the official block pattern at the end of the sew along. The setting blocks are easy enough to reverse engineer: They’re just two 5-inch squares sewn together and then attached to a 5 x 9.5-inch rectangle. So I’m hoping to start sewing up one or two each week along with whatever new block pattern is released. Then I won’t have a crazy amount of extra blocks to sew at the end.

You can download the patterns for the blocks on Fat Quarter Shop’s website.

Links to specific patterns:

There’s also a very active Facebook group for this sew along, if you want to join: Sewcialites Lounge, and they are so much fun to interact with throughout the week. If you’re looking for an upbeat community of sewists, you’ll find them there!

craftygoals: March 2026

March 1, 2026Leave a comment

I am so tired of reporting that I was sick and it affected my ability to move forward on my crafty goals each month, but alas, such is what I need to report. Yet again. Ugh. February kicked my butt, but that’s pretty normal for this time of year EVERY SINGLE YEAR, so I’m not too terribly upset about it, just annoyed. I caught that nasty flu that was going around and that took me out for two weeks. And then, because I was lying around for two weeks, my back spasmed once I got back on my feet and I was down and out with that flare-up for ten days. I finally got to moving around somewhat normally, enjoyed a couple days of productivity, and then BAM(!) migraine for two days. Then another migraine for six days that require an ER visit to shut down. ARRRRGHHHH. So, y’know, basically four weeks of no real progress on anything. I remain optimistic that my luck will trend upwards in March. Always optimistic…

Debrief: February #craftygoals:

Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt: Can’t quilt when you’re sick. Sigh.
Secret Project: I’ve made a lot of progress on this, but it’s not ready to unveil.
Penguin Party Quilt: Did make progress here and there.
Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: I’ve gotten a few of the blocks signed, and am in the process of getting the blank blocks sent out to various people. I am killing this.
RBD Block Challenge: I am almost done with Block #1. Let’s just ignore the fact that SIX of the blocks have been published. Progress is progress.
FQS Sewcialites 3 Sew Along: I am done with the first block! Yay me! I’ll get to working on the second block this weekend. I haven’t photographed it yet, sorry.
Jingle Bell Socks: Coming along nicely in the stolen moments.

March 2026 #craftygoals:

Time-Sensitive Things That Need Working on ASAP:

Guild Show & Tell Quilt: I’d still like to finish the Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt to show, and I’ve got the Sew Many Stars BOM Christmas Quilt on my list for March. I’m so far behind, so I have only the faintest glimmer of hope to get both of these done, but hope I will!

Secret Project: I had to push it back a couple of weeks due to the illness and injury, plus I grossly underestimated how much behind-the-scenes learning I was going to have to do to pull this off, but it should be ready to unveil sometime in March. So excited!

Things to Work on After the ASAP Projects:

Machine Stitching:

Penguin Party Quilt: I’m going to commit: I want to finish the top for this THIS MONTH.
Easter Say-It Sew Along Banner: Easter is April 5 this year so I want to sew this up in March so everything is ready for the big day.
Renaissance Graduation Quilt: Hoping to make more progress on this. I’m still waiting on some signatures, so I’m doing the best I can.
Rachel’s Graduation Quilt: I don’t know if I’ll get to touching this, but it’d be great if I could get some signatures back so I can start assembling the blocks. It’s largely dependent on others’ efforts/timeliness, so I’m keeping my hopes low so I don’t feel disappointed if nothing happens this month.

Hand Stitching:

English Paper Piecing: It’d be good to get work done on Smitten. It’s a weird time of year, whatwith the weather changes and garden needing more attention, so I have no idea how this will shake out.

Knitting: It’d be great if I could finish the Jingle Bell Socks.

Embroidery: I don’t have anything in the works for March.

There’s a lot of stuff to get caught up on in regular life before I can really get into the craft room, so this might be a low achievement month. However, sometimes things come together easy and then I get to do lots of crafty stuff, so we’ll see. Gardening needs to start happening too…it’s that time of year! So much fresh goodness coming our way with more light and sunshine as well. We made it through the darkest part of year, friends! Good job! Enjoy the upcoming spring!

Sorry there’s no pictures to go with this post, but if I take time to do pics, it takes up time to craft. I’m going to get caught up eventually and then it’ll be Picture City ’round these parts!