Welcome to Week 4 of the Joyful Meadows Quilt Along! It’s Block making time! Yay! This week we will make 4 of Block 1.
When I make a quilt I like to make all the harder units in the beginning to get them out of the way. Since all of our flying geese are already done, these blocks will go together quickly!
Having a correct 1/4 inch seam will be very helpful this week. If your seam allowance is too big or too small your pieces won’t match up correctly, and then your blocks won’t end up the correct sizes.
You can test your seam allowance by: Sewing (3) 2 1/2 x 4 inch strips together. Press the seams, to the side or open (what you usually do). The center strip should measure 2 inches wide exactly. If it doesn’t, you can move your needle accordingly.
LIVE VIDEO: JOIN ME tomorrow Feb. 3rd at 9 am PST for a LIVE video in my Facebook Quilt Along Group to go over making this block! And I will answer any questions you have.
Good Morning! It’s Week 3 of the Joyful Meadows Quilt Along! Last week we started our flying geese. If you didn’t finish them, that’s OK! This week we will only be making Half Square Triangles, and we are only making 4 combos. So you will have plenty of time left over to finish up those flying geese from last week!
I love the half square triangle unit! I love that you can make so many different designs using just this one unit. It’s a really easy unit for beginners to try too.
When I make my half square triangles, I like making them slightly larger than needed and then trimmed to size. So when making them this week, make sure to see what size you need to trim them too. Making sure you keep the diagonal seam centered in each corner.
You will be setting these half square triangles aside for Week 6 Block 3 of this quilt along.
Welcome to the second week of the Joyful Meadows Quilt Along! This week we will make our flying geese. This pattern has a lot of flying geese, so if you don’t get them all done this week, that’s ok! Next week we will be making a tiny bit of half square triangles, so you will have time to finish up those flying geese.
This pattern has directions to make the flying geese two different ways: 1. 4 at 1 time method – made slightly larger and trimmed to size 2. 1 at 1 time method
I love using the 4 at 1 time no waste method to make my flying geese. With some of my previous patterns and quilt alongs, some people LOVE this method and others Hate it! So I had some suggestions to make the flying geese slightly larger than needed, so they could be trimmed to size. I love this option because it gives you more wiggle room with sewing these together. In the end you can get a more precise flying geese.
I added the 1 at 1 time method to the pattern because this is a tried and true method for accurate flying geese. These do take a little longer and waste a little be more fabric than the 4 at 1 time flying geese method. But You can get great results using this method.
JOIN ME – tomorrow, Wednesday at 9 am PST (west coast USA) in the Facebook Quilt Along Group for a LIVE video. I will be going over how to make these two methods of flying geese. And I will be answering any questions you have.
Are you making this quilt in 2 colors? I am using my floral for A-G and white for H so, I am using the 4 at 1 time method and I will need: 8 – A-G/H combos (Floral will be the big square with 4 small white squares) making a total of 32 flying geese 14 – H/A-G combos (White will be the big square with 4 small floral squares) making a total of 56 flying geese
QUILT ALONGSCHEDULE Quilt Along Overview (with tester photos) Jan 12, 2021 – WEEK 1 – Cut all the pieces Jan 19, 2021 – WEEK 2 – Make ALL the Flying Geese and trim Jan 26, 2021 – WEEK 3 – Make the Half Square Triangles, finish Flying Geese from last week Feb 2, 2021 – WEEK 4 – Make 4 of Block 1 Feb 8, 2021 – WEEK 5 – Make 4 of Block 2 Feb 15, 2021 – WEEK 6 – Make 1 of Block 3 Feb 22, 2021 – WEEK 7 – Finish our quilt – Finish Quilt top, Baste, Quilt and Bind!
Good Morning! It’s the first week of the Joyful Meadows Quilt Along! Yay! This week we will be cutting all of our fabric. So make sure to check and decide if you want to make your flying geese using the 1 at 1 time method or the 4 at 1 time method (made slightly larger than needed and then trimmed to size). If you are unsure of how you want to make the flying geese, I would suggest getting some scrap fabric and trying both methods out!
Since this quilt has a lot of separation from the background fabric, it can be made in 2 to 8 colors. With my version I will be making a 2 colored one this time. So I will cut all of my A-G pieces from my floral fabric and then all my H pieces from my white fabric.
I’m so excited to see what fabrics you have picked! Make sure to share your photos this week in the Facebook Group or over on Instagram with the hashtag #JoyfulMeadowsQAL or tag me.
QUILT ALONGSCHEDULE Quilt Along Overview (with tester photos) Jan 12, 2021 – WEEK 1 – Cut all the pieces Jan 19, 2021 – WEEK 2 – Make ALL the Flying Geese and trim Jan 26, 2021 – WEEK 3 – Make the Half Square Triangles, finish trimming Flying Geese from last week Feb 2, 2021 – WEEK 4 – Make 4 of Block 1 Feb 8, 2021 – WEEK 5 – Make 4 of Block 2 Feb 15, 2021 – WEEK 6 – Make 1 of Block 3 Feb 22, 2021 – WEEK 7 – Finish our quilt – Finish Quilt top, Baste, Quilt and Bind!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Join my Facebook group and post your weekly progress photos OR post your photos on Instagram with the hashtag #JoyfulMeadowsQAL
JOIN ME tomorrow (1/13/2021) at 9 am PST (west coast USA) for a LIVE video in the Quilt Along Facebook group. I will be going over week 1 and answering any questions you have.
QUILT ALONGSCHEDULE Jan 12, 2021 – WEEK 1 – Cut all the pieces Jan 19, 2021 – WEEK 2 – Make ALL the Flying Geese and trim Jan 26, 2021 – WEEK 3 – Make the Half Square Triangles, finish trimming Flying Geese from last week Feb 2, 2021 – WEEK 4 – Make 4 of Block 1 Feb 8, 2021 – WEEK 5 – Make 4 of Block 2 Feb 15, 2021 – WEEK 6 – Make 1 of Block 3 Feb 22, 2021 – WEEK 7 – Finish our quilt – Finish Quilt top, Baste, Quilt and Bind!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE Join my Facebook group and post your weekly progress photos OR post your photos on Instagram with the hashtag #JoyfulMeadowsQAL
I will film weekly video tutorial in the Facebook Quilt Along group and answer any questions you have!
JOYFUL MEADWOS QUILT
Usually when I start designing a quilt pattern, I don’t have fabrics in mind. But with this Joyful Meadows Quilt Pattern I knew exactly what fabrics I wanted to use. I wanted something bright and cheerful and I wanted an echoed design. There is something about echoed designs that I love!
I used all Kona Cottons for the top of this quilt. The colors I used were (left to right) White, Honeysuckle, Persimmon, Duckling, Kiwi, Capri, Royal and Tulip.
This quilt is made up of a lot of flying geese, but don’t let that scare you. The pattern has to options for making your flying geese. The 1 at 1 time method and the 4 at 1 time method (made a little bigger than needed, then you trim to size)
I quilted this by lining my walking foot up on the edge of the design and basically outlined the design. I love the look this gives a quilt and it’s a really easy way to quilt a baby size quilt.
Last week I was able to baste and start quilting on my Joyful Meadows Quilt! I love using spray baste because it keeps all the layers stuck together. I used a mixture of Sulky Temporary spray and Spray and Bond Basting Adhesive, because that’s what I had on hand.
I did a quick and easy outline the design type of quilting. I lined my walking foot up with the edge of my seam and followed it. I have completed the center and just need to work on the outer blocks!
I also worked on finishing up some pot holders, which aren’t on my list, but they are in my pile of to finish.
THIS WEEKS GOALS: This week I want to finish quilting this and finish the binding! I need to order paper patterns on Nov. 23rd, so I better get busy!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
You can choose to work 10 minutes a day, 1 hour a week, 5 hours a week. It’s up to you!!
This post may contain Affiliate Links. When using the link, you pay the same amount for the items, I just receive a small commission.
Wow! That Quilt along went by so fast! We are on WEEK 5 of the Starlight Mountains Quilt Along with the National Quilters Circle! We have all these beautiful blocks, now it’s time to turn them into a comfy quilt!
This week you can download the Finishing instructions. These will give you instructions on how to sew your top together, add your borders and how to turn your quilt top into a cozy quilt!
Things you will need to finish your quilt: Backing Fabric (at least 6 inches wider and longer than your quilt top) Quilt Batting (at least 6 inches wider and longer than your quilt top) Basting Spray or Basting Pins Binding Fabric These are helpful but not necessary: Hera Marker to mark out your quilting lines Walking Foot (Helps pull your quilt from both the top and the bottom)
Finishing our Quilts!
Quilt Sandwich: First you will need to make your Quilt Sandwich. You will need to cut and sew your backing fabric to make it fit under your quilt correctly. Make sure it is at least 3 inches wider than your quilt top on all sides (quilt top size + 6 inches). Trim your selvage edge off after joining your pieces.
Make your quilt sandwich by first laying down your quilt backing, wrong side facing up. Tape down to a hard surface, making fabric taut. Next lay your batting on top. Smooth out with your hands, do not stretch. Then lay your quilt top right side up, smooth out with your hands.
Basting Your Quilt:
Spray baste: My favorite way to baste my quilt is by using Spray Baste! It makes basting so much easier. If you have allergies, this is probably not a good option for you. Find a place where you can lay out your quilt. Make sure to tape the backing fabric taut to the floor (or large table). Here’s great spray baste tutorial by Emily Dennis of Quilty Love. Spray Baste Tutorial
Pin basting: You can use safety pin about 3 to 4 inches apart (about the width of your hand). I like to use the large curved basting pins. This takes a little longer than the spray basting, but is a great option.
Quilting your Quilt: This step is totally up to you!
For my original quilt I used my walking foot and quilted about 1 inch apart. I used my hera marker a 6×24 inch ruler to mark out my line on the borders and larger finished pieces in my quilt top. I used my seams as a guide. I like to sew about 1/2 from the seam, this helps avoid the bulk of the seams.
Hand Tie your Quilt: Some prefer to tie there quilt. Suzy Quilts has an cool way of tying quilts. Check out her Tutorial!
Hand Quilt: Here’s a wonderful video tutorial by Suzy Quilts all about How to Hand Quilt.
Machine Quilt using your Walking Foot: Emily Dennis from Quilty Love has a great tutorial on how to Zig zag quilt your quilt with a Walking foot. Click here I love this method of quilting, it give your quilt great texture.
Free Motion Quilting: Free motion quilting can give you great texture and if you aren’t great at quilting straight lines, this would be great for you. Suzy Williams from Suzy Quilts has a great Free Motion Quilting Tutorial. Click here.
Binding Your Quilt:
Binding is the fabric strip that goes on the edge of your quilt. It covers all of the unfinished edges and rounds out your quilt.
You will want to make sure to square up your quilt before you attach the binding. Cut off the extra batting around the edges and make sure your sides are straight and corners are squared.
Most quilters will cut 2 /12 inch by width of fabric strips and then sew them together at the ends at a diagonal. Then press the strip in half, so that you are wrapping 2 layers of fabric around all of your edges.
You can machine sew the binding to the front of your quilt and wrap it around to the back and hand stitch it down. Or some prefer sewing the binding to the back of the quilt, wrapping it around to the front and machine stitching it down.
One of my favorite binding tutorials is by Suzy Williams of Suzy Quilts. Go check it out!
I’m so excited to see everyone finished quilts!
How do I participate?
Make sure to Post your finished quilt top photo in The NQC Block Challenge Facebook group OR Post your photos on Instagram using the hashtags #HappyCloudCreations and/or #NQCQuiltBlockChallenge
Yay!! It’s the last week of blocks and then next week you will get the finishing instructions!
This week we will be making 3 of the Large Star blocks! If you are making a larger size make sure to check the cutting instructions located in the Quilt Along Group!
I’m so excited to see everyone’s Mountain blocks!
Make sure to join The NQC Block Challenge Facebook group OR Post your photos on Instagram using the hashtags #HappyCloudCreations and/or #NQCQuiltBlockChallenge
This week we will be making 6 Mountain Blocks for the throw size quilt! If you are making an alternative size, make sure to check the fabric requirments to see how many blocks you will need to make!
I’m so excited to see everyone’s Mountain blocks!
Make sure to join The NQC Block Challenge Facebook group OR Post your photos on Instagram using the hashtags #HappyCloudCreations and/or #NQCQuiltBlockChallenge
This week we will be making 6 Small Star #2 Blocks! This block is similar to last weeks block, but it had a different center and made up of different colors.
I’m going scrappy with this quilt. So I will be making 2 of each of my color combos this week. Each color combo is different than last weeks combo.
I’m so excited to see your blocks this week! Make sure to post them in the The NQC Block Challenge Facebook group OR Post your photos on Instagram using the hashtags #HappyCloudCreations and/or #NQCQuiltBlockChallenge
