I could not afford to do it. You can buy a lot of fabric for $500.00 and do your own patterns.

this is true...you are paying for all of those conveniences and then some. I have a BOM shop pattern set here that I paid $60 for! It is pretty, but it is only stars...$60...OY....
and then if the shop miscuts, or runs out of fabrics....or YOU miscut...sadly..I won't do a BOM like that...

The block of a months that I have done I have only bought the patterns and then do them in my fabrics, my colors. Still a bit pricy, but not nearly as much as doing kits. $500 is a LOT....but if you REALLY love it, maybe it is worth it to you.

I look at it this way .. at $10.00 a yard .. $500.00 would buy 50 yards of fabric. I would rather have the 50 yards and buy a pattern.... and still be out ahead. There are so many great patterns that are free or much less costly. In addition, I like to pick my own fabrics, and have a orginal , one of a kind quilt.

Most BOMs are actually pretty affordable. You don't pay the whole cost at once. They're generally divided into 12 or 13 months. Most of them run around $25.00 a month. I've seen a few as high as $40.00 a month. I have seen fabrics that the only way you can get the focus fabrics is thru the BOM.

Keep in mind the shop owner has to purchase the program and all the fabrics for the program up front. Then those fabrics have to be cut and packaged into individual monthly packages for however many people are participating.

Every shop owner will tell you they have lots and lots of customers that don't want to pick their own fabrics, they want a totally coordinated quilt. BOM programs are perfect for those customers.

I have heard that it is expensive for the shop to "purchase" those block of the month programs.

I've only done the BOM that our local quilt shop offered -- $10 for the first block and then you didn't have to pay anymore unless your block wasn't done or you missed the class.

Now that my shop has closed I guess I won't be doing any BOM unless they are free.

I did a BOM when I was a newbie and learned a lot! Had no stash, so it was a good way to see if I liked quilting. Did another later because I like it. As a BOM it would have been about $350 plus shipping! So I searched on-line and found the whole kit in one go for $150. The fabrics were beautiful and it was a sampler type. I could not have assembled those fabrics, etc. for that price without going to 50 different shops or all over the net!
Again, I learned a lot of different techniques, etc. Don't regret it. Always check for the pattern through Google!!

My LQS has one each year and they are a lot of fun. It's usually a specially designed top. I believe we paid 29 up front and then it's free each month as long as you bring in the completed blocks. She shows the blocks you will be making and gives tips on the piecing - sometimes there is a little demo on a technique. We always have show and tell during the 45 min and she tells us what's coming up in the shop, etc.

Mine is not finished - boo hoo. It's a large quilt and I decided to make 2 small quilts out of it for my grand daughters since they are pink and brown and very girly. I'm in the process of making some extra blocks and then will piece the tops together.

I bought this BOM from Homestead Hearth: http://www.homesteadhearth.com/sunflowers-road.htm

I have enough trouble choosing fabrics for my other quilts, it is nice to have one ready to sew with fabric I like. Look at the value, not the cost. The value of the BOM justifies the price for me. I have paid $40 a month for a BOM that included backing, binding, fabrics, pattern and specialty rulers that were needed. That was about $500 when all said and done.

I signed up to to this free monthly BOM type class: http://www.craftsy.com Looks interesting and I can learn and beef up my skills.