I had a feeling that the July entry for the Patterns by Jen 2019 Monthly Color Challenge was going to be a tough one for me. Aqua was the color prompt and I knew that I didn’t have a lot of that color on hand. Also, the block has flying geese in it, and to be honest, that is not my favorite pattern.

While I absolutely love that way flying geese look in quilts, I have always had a problem sewing them. I don’t know why. I think it might be because I overthink it a bit. Whatever the reason, going into the July challenge, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

When I started this process back in January, I decided to go with batiks. I love working with them and, fortunately, I have a nice collection of them to choose from. Unfortunately, that doesn’t include many aquas. In fact, I could only find one aqua and one cream colored fabric with aqua in it.

Lo and behold, the block turned out great, and with Jen’s instructions, I easily assembled my nemesis block unit, the flying geese! Now I have all kinds of ideas for a quilt incorporating the pattern.

I have been delighted with this challenge so far. I’ve learned some new quilting methods, and I’ve been pushed to use colors I don’t normally work with. In fact, with the exception of the May block, I’ve been able to use batiks from my fabric stash. Because the colors are inspired by flowers, I’ve also learned a little bit about gardening too.

What’s Next

Now that my July entry for the Patterns by Jen 2019 monthly color challenge is finished, I’m ready for August, but I’m just going to have to be patient.

The color prompt for next month is red orange that is inspired by the marigold flower. It’s going to be another bright one and I can’t wait. If you like challenges, and like the blocks we’ve done so far, check out the Patterns by Jen website for more information. You’ll love it!

Here’s What I’ve Done So Far