It's Time! 100 Days 100 Blocks 2023!

It's time, it's time!  My favorite quilt-along starts again today: 100 Days 100 Blocks 2023!  All the details are at that link, but in a nutshell, there are 100 different blocks that you sew over 100 days.  This year, the quilt-along is using a brand-new pattern called Maple and Eucalyptus.  I really like that the blocks are all different sizes, which you can see in this photo I took of my blocks 1 and 2 together:

Yes, I did make 4 identical block 2 blocks.  I love the rainbow cover version of this quilt, but I also love a challenge so I am going to make the Bananas variation, a free pattern expansion.  This means I'll be making 246 total blocks.  As with all versions of the quilt, I've set some rules for myself.  In other years I've done black and white, pandas, and blue/green blocks.  This year I'm focusing on solids and low volume!  My rules starting out are:

1. The feature fabric of each block is a solid and the background fabric is low volume.
2. The low volume print will either be white on white OR feature a color that is similar to the color of the solid fabric.
3. Try to avoid novelty and directional prints.
4. Each block has been randomly assigned a color, but the color is open to interpretation.  For example, a "blue" block could be navy or teal, light or dark.
5. I like to assemble my quilts as I go along, but the blocks in this layout aren't in order.  So I give myself permission to make the blocks out of order so I can assemble as I go.

And that's it for now!  I'll be back with a progress photo at the end of the month!