December's Box Exchange Blocks

This school year I signed up for two box exchanges with my quilt guild.  One is a regular box exchange and the other is for paper pieced blocks.  What is a box exchange?  Its where you pick out a quilt block that you want others to help you make.  You put the instructions and maybe one piece of fabric for them to use into a box.  The people in charge number your box (you don't know what your number is).  Then each month you pick up your assigned numbered box, or in the case of the paper pieced boxes, your lettered box.  Then you make one or two blocks according to the directions in the box.  You return it at the next meeting and pick up a new box.  You do not know whose box you have and you do not know who has your box.  In April or May is the big reveal.  We pin the blocks from the last box that we picked up to a sheet of fabric.  Then we hang them up at the quilt guild meeting for everyone to see.  Its a lot of fun to go and find your quilt blocks (the ones from your box that you get to keep) and to see everyone else's blocks.

Here are the two blocks that I made today for the regular box exchange.

This is the paper pieced cat block that I made for the other box exchange.  This one took a good bit of time.  The person wants two blocks, but I don't know if I will make a 2nd one.  The 2nd one is optional in the box exchange.  When she gets her blocks back, she'll embroider a face on the cat.  I'm glad that quilt blocks count towards my 365 item goal, because this one took a while to make.  Did you notice that the cat is wearing a dress?  The person put several different cat blocks to choose from in her box.  Very cute idea.