Sew Let's Quilt Along: By the Bolt

Welcome back to Sew Let’s Quilt Along! We’re rolling right along with block 11 this week. If you’ve missed any of the past blocks, you can get the links on my quilt along page. Remember, all block patterns will be free until the quilt along ends on September 24, 2019.

Where would we be without fabric? Becca Fenstermaker of Pretty Piney Quilts designed her By the Bolt block to showcase some of the beautiful fabrics we keep in our sewing rooms. Head on over to her blog post to get the pattern.

Tips for Success

Seam Test

Any time a block has different sized pieces coming together, it’s essential to test your seam allowance. It’s the only way you can be sure everything will fit together nicely and your block will come out at just the right size.

To test your seam allowance, cut two 2" squares and sew them together. Press as desired, and measure the resulting rectangle. The rectangle should be 3 1/2" long. If your rectangle is shorter, you need a narrower seam allowance. If your rectangle is longer, you need a wider seam allowance. Adjust your seam and try again. Once the rectangle is exactly 3 1/2" long, you're good to go.

Design Boards

I love my design boards! They are such a convenient way to keep all of my pieces organized as I’m putting my blocks together. Since they’re covered with batting, the fabric sticks to them instead of trying to slide away. You can see how I made them here.

Pressing

I prefer to press my seams to the side whenever possible. For this block, I pressed the top pieces opposite directions on adjacent bolts. When it was time to sew the bolts together, I pressed towards the wider bolt. Here’s a diagram if you would like to press the way I did.

Our Lovely Hosts

We have eight hosts for segment 3, and we all made our very own fabric bolts blocks. Be sure to visit all of the lovely ladies below for more tips and inspiration. If you like what you see, leave a comment! We all love a bit of encouragement from our fellow quilters.

Prizes

We will have a prize package at the end of every segment, as well as a grand prize at the end of the quilt along. The prizes are open to all participants that are at least 18 years old. If you don’t remember what I mean by segment, check out the intro post for a refresher on how this quilt along is structured.

How to Enter

To be eligible to win a segment prize, you need to make all of the blocks from that segment. Share a photo or photos of your blocks (in a single post) to be entered.

For segment 3, entries will be open from 12:00 am August 27 to 11:59 pm September 9, 2019 (Eastern time). There are three places you can share your blocks to be entered in the drawing:

  • Facebook - share in the Partners in Design Facebook Group

  • Instagram - share with the hashtag #SewLetsQAL

  • Blog Linky - the hosts will include a link-up on their segment 3 wrap-up post on August 27, 2019

Segment 3 Prize Package

We have a wonderful array of prizes for each segment! Here’s the prize package for segment 3:

Grand Prize

To be eligible to win the grand prize, you need to make all 13 blocks from the whole quilt along and turn them into a quilt or other project(s). Quilt tops don’t need to be quilted, but projects do need to be finished. Share a single post that shows all of the blocks in a quilt or project. It doesn’t matter how many projects or what projects you make, or how many blocks you use in each project as long as you show that you’ve used all 13 blocks in a finished project or projects.

Important Note

To keep the contest portion of the quilt-along fair and fun for everyone, only quilters that use all of the designers' blocks [in a quilt or project(s)] will be eligible for the grand prize. Likewise, our segment prizes will only be open to those that make all of the designers’ blocks for that segment.

Fabulous Sponsors

We are really lucky to have some amazing sponsors on board for this quilt along! Please check them out as thanks for supporting us. Bluprint, Dear Stella, Everything Mary, Island Batik, Paintbrush Studio Fabrics, Prym, Shabby Fabrics, Timeless Treasures, Warm Company Additionally, many of the block designers are donating their quilt patterns.

Scraps or Favorites?

Do you think you’ll use some of the scraps from the earlier blocks, or are you planning to pull some favorite fabrics to feature from your stash? Leave me a comment and let me know. Either way, I’m sure you’re block will be spectacular!

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Quilting, Quilt AlongsBobbi BridgemanSew Let's Quilt Along, Partners in Design, pieced quilt block, mystery quilt4 Comments