Karma Court: Your New Block-of-the-Month Adventure!
Hey makers — get ready to fall in love all over again, because our newest block-of the-month is here, and it’s everything you’ve been asking for. If you loved the architectural flair, vibrant energy, and precision piecing of our past BOMs, you’re going to adore this one! Say hello to Karma Court, the newest Block Row of the Month pattern book from Sassafras Lane Designs.
Gimme the Details!
Karma Court is a 12-month journey: each month you’ll complete 5 paper-pieced blocks, which form one full row. Over the year, those rows cascade into a show-worthy quilt finishing 70″ × 84″.
Technique: foundation paper piecing. If you’ve done it before, you’ll feel right at home. If you haven’t, this book walks you through every step, with full-size foundations, simple step-by-step guidance and photo tutorial here.
Design opportunities: Want to shake things up with color? There’s a coloring sheet for dreaming & planning your palette.
Why You’re Going to Love It
- Cascade of color – Think geometric rows, clean lines, and that satisfying flow from block to block. Perfect if you want something structured but vibrant.
- Skill building – Solid doses of paper-piecing will grow your confidence (and precision).
- Flexibility – Choose your fabrics, mix colors, even play with neutrals or low-volume prints. Make it yours.
- Helpful Resources – Looking for a coloring sheet, bonus cutting diagrams, fabric sku information or a list of shops running BOM programs? All of that is available here.
What’s Inside the Book
Inside you’ll find:
- Full-size foundations ready to photocopy
- A Swatch Sheet to help you plan your fabric arrangement
- Cutting instructions for each block to make piecing a breeze
- Step-by-step foundation paper-piecing instructions
- Design options to give you some inspiration
All you need are your favorite fabrics, some foundation paper, and a little quilty enthusiasm.
Yardage & Suggested Notions
- 1/2 yards of 24 Fabrics for the Colors (colors 12, 15, 17 & 18 need 5/8 yard each)
- 5-1/4 yards of Accent (white in each block)
- 1-3/8 yards of Black Background
- 1-3/4 yards of Dark Background
- 1-3/8 yards of Medium Background
- 1 yard of Light Background
- 2/3 yard of Binding
- 5 yards of Backing Fabric
- Letter-size Foundation Paper
- Add-A-Quarter™ ruler
- The Karma Court pattern book
Let’s Talk About This Cover
We made this cover girl out of Foundation 2, in fact, the fabric line and Karma Court were designed to go hand in hand! When the fabrics are a full spectrum of color, it is easy to arrange them into a flow of color down the quilt. We started Block 1 with yellows at the top, moved into oranges for Block 2, so on and so forth until the lime greens in Block 12 touch the yellow Block 1s at the bottom again. Arranging the fabrics like this also pairs the darkest backgrounds with the lightest colors and the lightest backgrounds with the darkest colors creating a secondary ombre effect into the center.
I packed this quilt into my suitcase when Aaron and were popping over to Maui for the weekend and snapped these fun photos at an agave farm. It was windy, but the diffused light from the clouds was absolutely perfect!
Playing With Color & Fabric Placement
Looking to use a smaller color palette, focus on black and white prints or even use contrasting colors in each block? Here are some ideas we’ve mocked up to get your creative juices flowing!
We made another version of Karma Court in AMB Solids. We did another rainbow of cascading color but began the blocks with an orchid purple color and changed the order of the backgrounds. It gives the quilt a completely different look! They hung this quilt at h+h americas this year and it looked so striking in their booth.
Ready to Get Started?
The Karma Court Pattern Book is available now, and many quilt shops are running Block-of-the-Month programs and kits if you want to sew along with a group or if you just like the idea of happy mail every month!
I can’t wait to see the quilts you all make. Be sure to share your progress and finished tops on Instagram with the hashtags #SassafrasLane and #KarmaCourt or in our Facebook Group — nothing makes me happier than seeing my designs come to life in your hands.
