Something New Sampler: Modern Bargello

There sure are a lot of new quilt-alongs starting this month, aren't there?  Luckily, I wasn't really too tempted by any in particular (too much commitment for me!), except for the Something New Sampler.  It's going to be relatively short, and a lot of the blocks will be incorporating new techniques that I have been waiting for a good excuse to try. 
Then last Sunday at church, one of the ladies announced a new project going on in our area - "Quilts of Valor."  In a few months there will be a new Veterans Memorial Hospital in our city and they are in need of quilt donations.  Normally the idea of using up my precious stash and making a quilt for someone I don't know and probably will never meet makes me nervous, but I've talked myself into it.  It will be the perfect opportunity for me to join this quilt-along, knowing that the blocks I make will be part of something useful, rather than just sitting around waiting for me to figure out what the heck to do with them.  :)
So here's my first block.  The Modern Bargello.  I've been thinking about making a whole Bargello quilt one day.  Maybe now I will...

It was really fun to make and came together during one nap time (THANK YOU BABIES!).  I'm liking this instant gratification thing.  I'm planning to stick to a red/white/blue color scheme (which seems to be what the Hospital is hoping for), with one other random color in each block.  I've got a lot of those red stars stashed away - I was saving them for who knows what.  Might as well use it up, right?  Maybe I'll use a bit of it in each block, to tie everything together.  We'll see.

As for the rest of my week - I've been plugging away at making two more rows for my Storm at Sea quilt. 

Thanks for visiting!