Monday, July 05, 2010

quilt along week 5

How are your quilts coming? Are you having fun with this or are all the little pieces driving you crazy?

Personally, I'm glad this is a quilt along so I can chip away at it a little each week. When you have 16 quilts on the go, any accountability is helpful.

For this week, we are going to sew more blocks together! :)

Sew 10 segments together for the top and 10 segments together for the bottom.


Sew the strips to the top and bottom of the center block and press seams.


Sew together 14 segments for the left side and 14 for the right side.

Sew them to the center of the quilt. Press seams.

Now, add the sashing pieces that measure 28 1/2" to the top and bottom of the quilt.

Add the sashing pieces that measure 32 1/2" to the sides of the quilt.

Press all your seams. Isn't that pretty?

As the borders get longer and longer from here on out, always be aware of your block placement. You should be able to draw an imaginary zig zag down the side of your quilt. And on the top and bottom of the quilt, for that matter. The blocks should always be offset. If your blocks are adjacent to each other, it may be time to get out the seam ripper.

I had a few questions regarding which way to press the seams last week. It really doesn't matter which way you press the seams, as long as the ones that meet are facing the opposite direction. I added a few arrows to this photo to illustrate what I mean. Double click the photo to see the details.

Hope that helps!

That's it for today...set aside your mess until next week! Happy sewing! :)

24 comments:

Karen said...

This is gorgeous! Hope you save the tutorial for this one as I'd like to try it later on this summer.

Have a great 4th!

Hugs, Karen

Jill Chapman said...

This just gets cuter and cuter with every border!

Corrie said...

beautiful! I'm still cutting fabric but i'll get there!

your instructions are very helpful but it does help to check how much white backing fabric you have on the bolt instead of assuming you have oodles! So once I'm restocked with white quilters muslin I'll be in catch up mode

Corrie:)

Kristina said...

gah! It's so flippin' hot here and I have no AC in the craft room so I have to WAIT! And the quilt's getting sweeter and sweeter by the week. Oh well, they say the heat's going to break on Wednesday...

Shannon said...

I know I am late at getting started but I would love to make this quilt. It is so great. Thanks!

Jessica Christensen said...

I brought this on vacation with me, but I can't work on it till I get to Jill's. I made a pit stop @ Grandma and Grandpa's house. Hopefully, though, I'll catch up later this week. Love how it's turning out!

Diane said...

Maybe I can catch up this week... I am still at my little 4 square center :)

AnnieO said...

Sewing in waves is still production! Looking good.

Wow, 16 quilts huh, I am topping out at about 7 and going crazy. You are ambitious :)

Sooz said...

Ooooh... I'm away from the studio for a few days, and I'm chomping at the bit to get back to this quilt-a-long. I even almost jumped ahead on my own, based on what we've done so far, and where I can tell this is going... but I restrained. It's about doing this together, right?

I'll be back on Friday!

Oh, and I happened to meet a woman who wanted to join up with the QAL when I was shopping in Lancaster County, PA. She was stymied by the choice of white sashing, and I overheard her talking about what sounded remarkably like your QAL, I approached her, she confirmed, and we traded questions and answers. What a joy! Thanks for bringing us together!

Coffeebean's Dailies said...

this is great Amanda Jean! Good for you! There is no way that I can do this now as I am traveling here in the US for a few more weeks!

Islay said...

I've been resisting joining this quilt along, but I think it could be the perfect way to test out the colour scheme I have in my head for our wedding next year - I'm making a bunch of quilts as picnic blankets. Now if I could just get my current quilt finished I'd have an excuse to start...

Anonymous said...

I love it - I'm a bit slow, just finished cutting all my background fabric yesterday and started sewing the strips together. I can't wait! I hope to have them done tonight.

hook and needle said...

Gosh, I hope I finish my cross quilt so that I can join in the fun of the next quilt along. This is really lovely!

Unknown said...

Gosh, I do love white. I know you sometimes think of it as "safe" but the colour sure does make a statement.
I'm not doing the project, but am keeping track of your progress.
16 quilts on the go! It boggles my mind! One is a lot to keep the mess around and I don't have kids to cook and clean for.

pdudgeon said...

just loving this! what a great excuse to get a jelly roll that i've been dying to purchase. this would also make a great pattern for a patriotic quilt of valor! red and blue squares with striped sashing would be fantastic.

Melissa said...

Woah! Vacation has put me waaaay behind but I cannot wait to catch up - starting today! Thanks for the tutorial.

Meryl said...

I'm really enjoying this quiltalong, and I am keeping up! This is the first quiltalong I've actually done as it is going on. I'm using Crazy 8's jelly rolls, which I loved in the rolls, didn't like when I unrolled them (looked too much like X'mas), and now totally love in this quilt! It's a fantastic design. Thanks.
Meryl

Katherine said...

I'm enjoying watching the progression of this beauty, week by week.

Did you hear my jaw hit the floor when I read that you have 16 quilts on the go? ;o) I was feeling guilty that I have 3 quilts on the go with another in the planning stages. LOL Goodness. You are amazing.

Terriaw said...

Looking gorgeous! Great tip for keeping track of the block placement. I am hoping to use this project to make a dent in my scrap stash... later this summer when I have more "free" time!

Diana Dörzbacher said...

This is my first quiltalong. I'm really enjoying this quiltalong and I am keeping up! Week 5 is done! Thank you, Diana

Mary Lou said...

I'm caught up and am really loving the colors and design. I'll be posting pictures soon.

Angie said...

I am really enjoying this quilt for all of my scraps. Thanks again for hosting.

Clair said...

You must have had extra time to blog without two of your little people...three posts in one week.
Mariah might be a budding quilter...or at least has an interest in quilts. She liked all of mine!

Regina said...

I'm going to be a bit behind. We got back from our Oregon trip last night and I have a few days to move the last of my things from the other house. I moved my sewing machine this morning. Thinking I can't get back to this project until next Thursday *gasp*