Calendar Quilt - Months 5-8

Guild BOM blocks 5-8

So, why am I posting calendar quilt blocks two days in a row?!?!?  Well because I am finally catching up!  I haven't brought my BOM blocks to the guild meeting since March because I haven't made a new one since March!

And here's what our block clues have been to date:

• January - Snowman
• February - Heart
• March - Green
• April - Showers and/or Flowers
• May - Animals and/or Bugs
• June - Nautical
• July - Patriotic
• August - Fruits and/or Vegetables

I was definitely on the right track when I began the calendar quilt idea, adding each month abbreviated in a freestyle sort of piecing.  I'm also really stretching my paper piecing skills by working from the book "365 Foundation Quilt Blocks" by Linda Causee.  And when I say stretching, I mean it.  In the April block, there were 71 pieces just in the flower design (no to mention the piecing in the letters and the piecing to put the whole block together).  In the May block, there are 97 pieces of fabric in the butterfly alone!  This is one block thick with seaming.  And add to it, the lettering and the background piecing, that makes well over 100 pieces in this block (and I'm not counting to be sure)!  

So do you paper piece?  Do you like it?  Where do you get your patterns? and are you crazy enough to take on piecing 100+ pieces in one 8x8 block?!?!?