Dreaming up a quilt color palette, choosing fabrics, even scattering fabric ideas on the design wall - all those stages of quilt planning are so easy and open and free for me. With a sampler quilt like Pas de Deux, actually choosing which block to sew first, on the other hand, can be a bit intimidating.

Which one am I ready to lock in, so to speak? Where am I totally sure?

The thing is you don’t have to be totally sure. It’s not uncommon to re-make a block or two in any sampler quilt. Still, you want to feel good about your choices when you start sewing. Otherwise you can just stand there staring at your fabrics feeling paralyzed - - - I think we’ve all been there!

With my new Pas de Deux quilt, I eventually decided to start by sewing the Sawtooth Burst block. This is the block that club members sewed in March, so you can find lots of examples of it at #pasdedeuxquilt. It’s also the block I sewed first in my original Full Spectrum Pas de Deux. Hmm, interesting.

As you can see, Sawtooth Burst is created with HST blocks, which frame a center large square. I fussy cut a beautiful Anna Maria Horner print from her epic Good Folks collection for my star center.

In comparison with my first Sawtooth Burst block, this one has reversed color value. Here the star is dark and the background is light. I’ve used petrol blue for the center star layers, which fades to dusty purple and lavender as it bursts open. So that’s three main colors, instead of two. Expect to see more colors in my patchwork groups, this time around.

The next day I sewed Pinwheel Star block. She’s a simple little beauty scheduled for June in the Pas de Deux club. I love how this one came out! The solid purple emphasizes the center pinwheel, while the peach along the edges will bridge nicely with surrounding quilt colors.

Add a quick sprinkling of Circle Square blocks and we have a happy beginning indeed! It feels lovely and dainty and harmonious. Eee! The pretty fabrics and pretty colors are just right for spring, don’t you think? I’m eager to add more soon!