Are you ready to make your first quilt? Nervous? Don’t know where to start? Join me for a quilt-along perfect for beginner quilters.
I’ll be posting step-by-step directions for how to make my Colorbrick quilt. It’s definitely my favorite quilt so far and so easy to make. Large pieces come together quickly, but the effect is more interesting than a simple block quilt.
You CAN do this! Come on – there’s no time like the present to get started!
We’ll start cutting the first week of October. So, that leaves you two weeks to get your fabric in hand. Don’t dawdle now! You’ll need:
- 10 Fat Quarters (prints for the bricks)
- a Solid Neutral for sashing and backing
So start dreaming about what you might use. Here’s our Quilt-Along post line up with approximate dates:
- Choosing Fabrics & Materials List
- Prewash & Press Fabrics—————————-Sept 30th
- Rotary Cutting 101———————————–Oct 2nd
- Cutting: 10 Fat Quarters become 60 Bricks!—–Oct 5th
- Cutting: the Long & Short of Sashing————–Oct 12th
- Chain Piecing: Bricks & Short Sashing————-Oct 15th
- Musical Bricks—————————————–Oct 19th
- Hello Quilt Top!—————————————Oct 22nd
- Basting {a Tale of Two Methods}——————-Oct 26th
- Quilting Along the Lines—————————–Nov 2nd
- Making Your Binding———————————Nov9th
- Easiest Machine Binding—————————–Nov12th
You can easily have your Colorbrick quilt done in time for Christmas, even if you hit a few bumps along the way!
Are you going to join us? Yahoo! Please consider joining our group on Flickr! It’s a fun way to stay connected, share what you’re making and discuss questions on an open forum.
P.S. Are you wondering if you’re ready to quilt? I’ll be assuming you know how to sew a straight line with your sewing machine. That’s pretty much it. So, minimal sewing experience is recommended. We will be using a rotary cutter too. If you don’t already own a set up, see my suggestions under “Rotary Cutter Extras” on the Get Started Supply List.
Oh this looks like so much fun! And would make the perfect Christmas gift for my daughter who just moved into her own room.
Quick question: How much of the neutral do I need?
Off to look at my calendar to plan a trip to the fabric store. . .
Can I just tell you that I’m really really excited about this?
I have been wanting to make a Christmas quilt for our family to pull out every year…how big is this one?? How much of the sashing/backing fabric do we need? You are tempting me, you really are 🙂
Finished dimensions are 52.5 x 66″. It’s a nice size for 2 adults to snuggle with on the couch, or for a few kids.
One more question about choosing fabrics for the Colorbrick…do you suggest a mix of large scale and small scale or a certain ratio?
I have been wanting to try making a quilt and this might just be the perfect thing to get me going! My sister is due to have her second daughter right at Christmas and this would be the perfect gift!!!
Although I am not a beginner, I am going to try to do this with you. I am still a new machine quilter and although I have meandered, I haven’t tried straight lines, so I will definitely be giving that a try! Love the pattern : )
The amount of neutral fabric required for sashing/backing depends on how wide the fabric is manufactured. I’ll be back with details on Saturday morning. But, as a ballpark figure, you’ll need 3-4 yards of the neutral.
Aimee – I love your question about scale. I’ll definitely be addressing that in Saturday’s post!
i am seriously considering!! I am now on the lookout for fat quarters that I want. How big is a fat quarter? I may cut some out of fabric I already have, is cotton best? Normally I quilt with scraps…is this kind of improvisation allowed?!
A fat quarter is 18 x 22. I definitely recommend medium weight cotton fabric or “quilter’s cotton” if you are shopping. Using scraps or any fabric you have on hand is certainly up to you! Thin or thick fabrics are doable, but are likely to make some steps more difficult. When you put so much time and effort into something, it’s best to love what you’re working with, so keep that in mind!
I have never quilted before but have wanted to learn, so I am really excited about this!! I think I’m going to try it. Where locally do you recommend getting fabric from?
I’m so excited right now! I’ve followed (/lurked) a couple of quilt-alongs but this is the first one I’ve decided to participate on! I’m really looking forward to it; I already have my fabrics picked (pending scale instructions on Saturday!)! I’ve hand pieced and hand quilted before, but I’m pretty new (about three weeks!) to machine sewing. I can’t wait to get started!
I am in!
I have been coveting the heck out of your amazing quilt since you first made it and would love to make on of my own.
I’m a little nervous because I am design challenged when it comes to picking out fabrics that “go” vs fabrics that “match”.
I will probably end up just pulling prints I like from a single fabric line. (Cheater)
Hey, I’m a “cheater” too! I’ll work on making the button more accessible – thanks. If it works for you, you’re welcome to grab it from the Flickr group.
Will you make a sew along button that I can add to my page?
For the machine quilting, do we need to have a special foot? I think I’d like to tag along with this one!!! It’s very fun.
Yes, I recommend a walking foot. Mine is not “built-in”. It’s an attachment I bought and it works just fine!
[…] Quilt-Along. You can join in anytime, even if you’re not a beginner! Please see this page for links to all posts, and join us on Flickr to share your questions and […]
Ahhh! I am so tempted to do this! If I can get the fabrics in time, I’m in! This may end up being my very first “finished” quilt. I love the idea of being a part a group all working on the same thing. This is just great Rachel!
:)Maureen
This is going to be SO much fun. I’ve never done a quilt along. I’ve finished a few quilts, but I can’t wait to see pictures of everyones progress. I’ve got to go seartch through my fabric, I have a few idead of what I could use. hehehe I’m so excited!!!
I guess I’m so excited I spelled a few things wrong. sorry. I’m SEARCHING my fabric and I have IDEAS of ones I can use. lol okay deep breath
I’M IN!!! I had wanted to make a quilt like yours out of my own Good Folks stash as soon as I saw it on the Good Folk pool back months ago. I’m so glad you decided to do a quilt along because I’m a beginner. Question though. All of my fat quarters were wonky when they were cut. They weren’t all perfect 18 X 22. I’ve been spending time trueing my fat quarters and some of them are now smaller than 18 X 22. Is this going to be an issue? I need to order my neutral fabric pronto. I think I might also buy some Sandi Henderson Sweet Meadow to make another one for somebody else…The Good Folks is for me. 🙂
I recommend that you do NOT try to square your quarters. Just wait until it’s time for cutting and then see what you can do. If they are slightly too small, a simple adjustment in measurements will be OK. Your quilt might end up 5 inches or so smaller than ours, but that’s no biggie. I allowed extra room in the fat quarters for fabric shrinkage and imperfect quilt shop cutting, so I expect you’ll be ok!
I am completely new to quilting and am dying to try one. This one looks so appealing and it would be fun to do with a group. I am pregnant and due with my second child mid November so I am not sure if I will start with you guys because I want to finish it before baby Owen arrives… going to give it some thought. Looks like fun!