I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long: Snowman
Can you believe it's already time for block 5 of I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long? Time certainly does fly. If you're just joining us, you can find information about the quilt along and links to all of the past blocks right here.
This week's block was designed by Sherry Shish of Powered by Quilting. You can find the pattern on her post. Remember, all block patterns are free until January 16, 2018, so you'll want to go ahead and download it now.
I have to say, I just love this snowman. He's so cute! You'll want to be careful to have good quarter inch seams for this one so he comes out just right. Though, I'll let you in on a little secret - I'm planning a layout that's pretty forgiving if your blocks come out slightly different sizes, so there's no need to stress if you're having trouble. I'll share a tutorial for that layout at the end of the quilt along.
Tips for Success
I found it super helpful to label all of my parts as I was cutting them. That way I could easily see that I was sewing the right pieces together without having to go back and reference the cutting chart.
This block involves several stitch and flip corners. I always find that those come out best if I draw a diagonal line on the back of my fabric and sew just to the outside of the line. That gives me the extra couple of threads of fabric I need to have the triangle reach all the way to the corner after I flip it.
Now for my favorite fusible applique tip - to easily remove the paper, score it with a pin and fold along the score line. The paper will readily release as you're folding. From there, just grab the tail to pull off the rest of the paper.
Since embroidery isn't my favorite technique, I decided to applique the arms. A straight edge made tracing them a breeze. I've also decided to use buttons for the eyes and down the front. For now, those are just laying on top of the block. I'll attach them after quilting. I'm currently on the lookout for some smaller buttons I can use for the mouth.
Note - If you'll be sending your quilt to a longarmer to be quilted, it's important to wait to add all embellishments (like buttons) after it has been quilted. This protects both their machine and your quilt from inadvertent damage.
The Rest of the Gang
There are 10 other wonderful ladies hosting this quilt along with me, and they've all made their own versions of Sherry's snowman. Don't you just love this one by Sandy Maxfield of SandyStar Designs? He's one cool dude!
Check out all of the other's hosts' blogs to see their take on the snowman and pick up some more helpful tips. We all love comments, so if you like what you see, be sure to let them know!
Abbie at Sparkle On
April at JANDA Bend Quilts
Becca at Pretty Piney
Bobbi at Snowy Days Quilting <---- That's me!
Diane at Cwilt
Jennifer at The Inquiring Quilter
Karen at Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats
Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts
Sandy at SandyStar Designs
Sherry at Powered by Quilting
Vanda at Quilt in Piece
Prizes
We have two more fabulous prizes this week. First up is a copy of Simply Redwork signed by the author, Helen Stubbings. This book was generously donated by Laura Piland of Slice of Pi Quilts. Next is a pdf pattern of your choice by Vanda Chittenden of Quilt in Piece.
To be eligible to win the prizes, just post your finished snowman block by 11:59 pm Eastern time on Monday, September 25, 2017. You can share your block in our Facebook group, on Instagram with the hashtag #iwishyouamerryqal, or by joining the linkup on Sherry's post. I can't wait to see what you make!
But that's not all! Sherry is having a pattern sale just for quilt along participants. Her latest pattern, Circular Illusion, is on sale for the low low price of $5.99. You can get 25% off the rest of her patterns with coupon code MERRYQAL25. The sale is good from now through the end of September, 2017.
We also have a fabulous grand prize package. Here's a look at the wonderful sponsors we have lined up for that. To be eligible to win the grand prize, post a completed quilt top that includes all 12 blocks by 11:59pm Eastern Time on January 15, 2018. The final block will be released on December 5, so you'll have plenty of time. It doesn't even have to be quilted!