Tutorial Tuesday: Quilt Alongs

As some of you know (if you read this blog!) that I have joined a quilt along. I know this isn't necessarily a conventional tutorial, but I believe that QAL's really do help us quilters. I'll throw in a picture of my first completed block from the Spinning Stars QAL I am apart of... that way this post isn't super duper boring!

The first block is complete!!! I'm going to start on the second one soon :D

Okay back to the benefits of QAL's. 

1) They help you to try new blocks and techniques that you might not try on your own. I most likely would not have tried making this quilt by myself. I only began doing it because I saw Katie talking about doing a QAL with it. I decided to take the plunge and try something new that I wasn't exactly super drawn to. I am getting some excellent practice with being more precise with my sewing skills. I'm not very careful with keeping my seams super straight. I've discovered that if I ever want to make blocks that are more advanced and need exact sewing, then I need start paying attention. This block has definitely been an excellent teaching device for this. I must match everything, but it isn't too big of a deal if it is off just a bit. It gives me some leeway to really delve in and learn!

2) You get a chance to directly interact with fellow quilters. Everyone in a QAL is working on the same thing. Information is shared, little tips and tricks are given by those who encounter them along the way, and if you're having trouble someone is always there! Of course this is only with a QAL that has some sort of message board or email ring set up. The Spinning Stars QAL is through a Flickr group so we use the message boards. Pic below! Everyone seems to really like sharing information with each other, which is soooo helpful!

3) You have a sense of community filled with inspiration. Members of the QAL become familiar with each other and what everyone is working on. You get to see so many different ways people interpret a particular block, project, or quilt. Everyone has different fabric tastes and layout ideas, of which all the members are supportive of. They are also so encouraging! Wanting to share what my blocks looks like and getting encourage words really keeps me sewing up my Spinning Stars blocks. Plus looking at the beautiful blocks everyone else is coming up with, inspire me to keep going.

I hope everyone found this helpful and are now going to go join a QAL!! Have a good day :D

Spinning Stars: All Cut Out

I have done it!!! I have every single piece cut out to make Anna Maria Horner's Spinning Star block for the QAL! I began cutting last Saturday night, and I finished it up last night. Here's a picture of all of my pieces laid out last night: *Sorry that all of the pictures are a bit dark. It's cloudy outside (or at night) so light just isn't good*

Ignore the little scappies in the back. That's my cutting area back there!

I love having all my pieces laid out like this. I would stop sometimes and just stare at what I had cut out. It was so peaceful. It helps me to really get a feel for the fabric. Plus it was a bit mesmerizing when my blinds were "dancing" while I was staring. I have vertical blinds and they are constantly moving from the air flow from my fan. It can be quite pretty but a bit dizzying. On to more pics!

Everything cut out!

Display of the different fabrics I'm using.

I think that every time I began cutting into a new fat quarter, I fell in love. I would think, "This one is my favorite!". Then I'd begin another FQ and think, "This one is my favorite!", and again and again and again... I'm glad I really do like all of these prints. I've finished cutting pieces before and realized I was sick to death of the fabric and no longer liked it. It makes it pretty hard to finish when you just don't love the fabric anymore. Speaking of fabric... a few more pictures for you!

This was my first time using Free Spirit Fabric, and I must say, I am highly impressed with the quality of it. It was just so soft and had a great weight. I didn't want to stop touching it. In fact, I wanted to rub it on my face! (I didn't, but almost.) Field Study and Night Shade are both Free Spirit, and you could definitely tell. 

I will now leave you with a picture of my plan for this quilt. I have changed some details, but you can at least see my calculations. Hope you have a great week!

P.S. Go by and check out the Spinning Stars QAL Flickr page. There are some great blocks and quilts popping up!

Quilt Along

I have decided to join Katy, aka imagingermonkey, of Monkey Do in her quilt along. We will be quilting Anna Maria Horner's Spinning Stars Quilt. I am excited to get this one going! She actually officially started the quilt along on Wednesday, but like everything, I tend to start off a bit behind due to life. I do have my material though! And I planned it out tonight... on graph paper! I'm not making it as scrappy as Anna Maria Horner did, but it should still come out okay. Are you ready to see the material?!

 This is a blogger bundle from Pink Castle Fabrics. I've had my eye on it for weeks (and yes, I even pinned it onto Pinterest), and when I read about Katy's quilt along plan I knew I had to order it. The only extra I got was the Sinister Swarm in Flour from Anna Maria Horner's Field Study. Which I'm sure you are already familiar with. I was expecting the print to be a bit smaller so now I'm just going to use it as a border so that I keep all those beautiful moths intact. A bit closer below...

One of my favorites from the bunch! Apothecary in Vapor! It's from Tula Pink's collection Nightshade. I really had never seen this fabric before I ran into this bundle. I might have to order some more soon to add to my stash. Actually, I'm tempted to order this whole bundle again to stash it. I'm not typically drawn to orange, but the mix of blue and pink in the bundle keeps my interest in it. Plus the oranges used are just beautiful!

A bit more of them all. I really am excited to get started on this quilt. I might buy a few more FQ's to add a bit more variety. I want the quilt to look put together, but still scrappy. A difficult idea to balance. Can I say I love the randomness of some of the fabrics though? Harry Potter-esque prints, along with alphabet, florals, and geometrics. This should be fun!

I'll leave you with my beloved moths and a link to the quilt along's flickr :D

Sinister Swarm in Flour: Collection- Field Study