Beginner Quilting Basics

Published: Wed, 01/06/16

Hi ,

We're six days into 2016 and already our Machine Quilting Block Party is a wonderful success!

Josh and I have been totally blown away by the response to this fun new monthly project. These quilt alongs are a lot of work to put together, but it's totally worth it to see so many happy quilters learning new skills.

Just in case you missed my last email, you can click here to find the first block pattern.
Begin Quilting on the Right Foot
Because we're just starting out with this project, I decided to share a series of special tip video to help beginning quilters get off to a great start.

Click the links below to watch the videos and get started on this fun project:

Introduction - I share a brief intro in this video and explain how the block party will work and how you can join in the fun.

How to Prepare Your Fabric - Do you want to work with scraps or yardage? Find tips on how to buy fabric or shop from your stash, then how to prepare your fabric and square it for accurate cutting.

How to Piece Block #1 - Our first block is called Half Square Sun so of course we need to learn how to piece half square triangles! Learn how to piece this shape accurately and how to arrange and piece the block so all the seams match.

How to Mark Your Block - Each block pattern will come with a full sized quilting diagram for you to mark your block. Learn how to mark your block with a lightbox so machine quilting will be easier to manage.
Sharing and Caring
Quilters from around the world are joining the new Block Party Facebook Group and posting photos of their beautiful blocks. Josh and I work very hard to create a kind, supportive place for quilters to share and ask questions.

Many quilters have already pieced Block #1 and shared photos in a wide range of colors and fabrics. If you're having trouble picking your fabrics, try scrolling through the Facebook group to see all the different creative possibilities.
Yes, the quilt is a Mystery.
Many quilters have been wondering what the final quilt will look like. Nope, we're not revealing the quilt because we want the blocks to be a surprise each month. We will publish little sneak peeks occasionally, but you will not see the final quilt until the very end.

The main reason we're sharing the quilt this way is it's less stressful for us to teach. Back when we published Building Blocks, I was answering questions about Block #8 when we were still on Block #1. It was very challenging, not to mention confusing for everyone following along.

So we're not going to reveal the quilt and you'll just have to trust me that it's pretty. Even more important - you'll learn a lot and build amazing new skills along the way.
Restocking New Gear
You may notice that a lot of our items in the Quilt Shop are out of stock.

Everything slows down this time of the year as businesses need to count and restock inventory for taxes.

Don't worry - we should be back in stock with all our helpful tools and supplies for machine quilting in the next few weeks.

That's it for this week! Be looking for my email next week with more tip videos on how to machine quilt the Half Square Sun Block.

Let's go quilt,

Leah Day