July Birthday Block Swap

I am participating in a Birthday Block Swap at the about.com quilting forums. The concept is pretty neat. 24 quilters participate, and each month it is two quilters' "birthdays." All of the other quilters then make the birthday ladies a block of their choice. So, I send out two blocks every month, and then, when it is my "birthday" month, I will receive 23 blocks of my choice. Some quilters choose a general theme, such as gardening or birdhouses, and let everyone run with it. Others choose a particular block in a particular color. For me, this is a great way to force myself to try "traditional" quilting techniques, such as complicated piecing or applique, that I wouldn't normally. I think that over the course of the year I will definitely make a lot of mistakes, but also learn a lot in the process. Here are the first blocks, for July: On the left is my contribution to a "garden" theme. The background sky and ground are pieced together using curved piecing. The veggies are appliqued on, using light fusible and a teeny-tiny zig zag stitch. I love how bright the colors are, and I think the cross-section view is neat. On the right, the birthday gal requested blue stars on a white background, quilter's choice of pattern. I used this pattern: http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2008/06/star-quilt-along-week-7.htm from the crazy mom quilts star quilt-a-long. Her tutorial was great, and I love the star pattern. This quilt will be going to someone who lost everything in Katrina. I hope she likes it!