Hugs and Kisses January block

I love participating in Block of the Month (BOM) programs sponsored by quilt stores. For the uninitiated, a BOM means you go to the quilt store on a certain day of the month and pick up the fabric and pattern for one unfinished block. You complete that block and then pick up the next block the following month. You cannot pick up the next block sooner than the appointed day. At the end of a year, you have 12 blocks that you put together in a quilt.

Being forced to wait each month for the block teaches you patience and discipline. You can’t rush it. You just have to stay on task. The good part is that you do know what the quilt will look like once it’s done. This teaches you to look at the big picture and to break it up into small, manageable parts.

Learning these qualities can serve you well whether you are a quilter, a mediator, a writer or a Mom. That is why I participate in at least one BOM program each year. Shown here is January’s block for the BOM program sponsored by my local quilt store Quilts and Fixins. I hope you will look forward to seeing the finished quilt in 2010 as much as I do.

What do you do to practice your patience?