I do love March!  In South Carolina the grass begins to green up in March.  On the bushes buds are poised, promising displays of yellow, pink and white.  It's so fair that I'm known to step away from the fabric and spend a little time outside in the yard, tending our poor flower beds.  I feel the weekend calling!

This year March means the next edition of the Penny Sampler.  Before I get started on the assigned blocks, I want to anchor my color scheme with a prominent block called Ribbon Square.

Weeks ago I designated Window Dressing in Lagoon for the Ribbon Square block.  It's a block that falls near the center of the quilt and is emphasized by sashing, making it a good place to use a fabric that particularly speaks to you.   Today I selected two Freespirit Designer solids, Pomegranate and Sunset, for the other block elements.

I remember making this block 4 years ago, when I designed the Penny Sampler.  It seemed to take forever to plan, cut, trim and sew all those half square triangle blocks.

With slight trepidation I set out to make this block today... and was so pleasantly surprised!  I don't know if it's the difference between designing/pattern-writing and just following instructions or that I've really come so far in 4 years, but making ribbon square was truly a pleasure.

I'm glad I "risked" using the plaid for a background.  It has a quirky, but not-too-fussy look that hits the spot.

I sewed all but the last two long rows of the block without pins and didn't even trim up the block.  Check out how straight and tidy it finished!  I'm feeling mighty chuffed.  Here's to getting older and wiser and, apparently, a bit more skilled!

Alright, now I'm ready to dive into the March blocks feeling more confident about how things are coming together.

If you're doing the 6-month sampler, we're starting Precise Piecing this month.  Ribbon Square comes along in April (or around July if you've chosen the 12-month plan).  If you like the flexibility of choosing the order of your blocks and don't need to follow the lesson sequence for skill-building purposes, you can always opt for the complete Penny Sampler coursebook.  With the coursebook you'd have access to all materials at once and can sew in the order that suits you (or follow along with me as you're inspired!).  The coursebook is also a good choice if you're jumping in late, since a bird's eye view will help you chart your own course.

Enjoy your weekend, friends!