Saturday 22 February 2014

FEBRUARY BLOCK OF THE MONTH

Hello everyone, and welcome to my February blog.
Do you ever get times when nothing seems to be going right? Well this has been the month for us!
One problem was with our central heating, which left us without hot water or heating for over a week. This meant we had to visit family and friends for a bath. (I hate showers!) 
You never realise how much you miss something until it is gone. Constantly boiling kettles, and washing hands in cold water, was not nice.
However, I am pleased to report that we now have a lovely new boiler & heating system, so can now have a lovely hot soak at last!

So now on to February's block.

I have now completed the February block, using the same method as the January block.
It is interesting what you can do with a nine patch block!

I spend a lot of time with my notebook in which I design suitable blocks for the quilt. It is all trial and error, but I find there is no “right or wrong” design. You do what you like best.
Here is a picture of my notebook. 
I often draw various permutations to get the effect I want.

                (For some reason I cannot get the picture to go the right way up!)

I also use a double mirror to show what the design will look like.



Sometimes I plan it all out, then when I have cut the fabric out and pinned it on the design board, I am not happy, so I rummage through the stash to see what else would go better!


So let’s look at the ideas for the February block.



FEBRUARY.

The name February came from a period of religious purification, and probably the predecessor of Lent.
Februare is the Latin word ‘to purify’.

 FESTIVALS.
 Chinese New Year: This occurs between the end of January to middle of February, depending on year. (2014 is the Year of the Horse).

Candlemas: February 2nd is marked in the church calendar by Candlemas. This festival represents the return of light to the world after the long winter months. It is halfway between the longest day (21st December) and the spring equinox (21st March), when the hours of darkness and light are of equal lengths.

St Valentines Day. This is 14th February. This is when people express their love for each other by giving flowers, chocolates and gifts (often heart shaped), and send greetings cards known as valentines.

Shrove Tuesday.(Pancake Day). Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Day) is the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Shrove Tuesday is determined by the date when Easter falls.

IDEAS:
Zodiac sign is Aquarius (Jan 21st – Feb 18th) & Pisces (Feb 19th – March 20th).
Birthstone: Amethyst.
 The weather here in Britain is usually wet and miserable, with frosts and sometimes snow.

“February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen pond again”

There are still snowdrops, also violets and hellebores (“Lenten rose”).
I would suggest using fabrics showing red roses, hearts and flowers, and maybe cherubs?

Reds are definitely the colour for this otherwise drab month!

Blocks you could choose would be Woven hearts, Hearts desire, Lovers knot etc.

 

This is my February block. (I like to think the corners look like hearts).
Valentines day is said to be the day when birds chose their mate, so I incorporated pairs of birds in the centre.

I hope February has been a good month for you. Pop back & see me in March.

                       As usual, please feel free to leave any comments.
 


 





 


2 comments:

  1. Adding the symbolic and meaning of each month is a nice touch
    Well done another enjoyable read thank you
    Love Lisette x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Lisette. It is interesting researching each month! Glad you enjoyed it xx

    ReplyDelete