The Penny QAL - Quilt Top Assembly
We are getting so close to the end of the Penny Quiltalong - I hope you guys are still hanging in there.
For this week, here are a few tips to get you started -
- Set your blocks out on your design wall or your floor and make sure that all of your blocks are facing the right direction and that you are happy with your fabric placement.
- I like to add the sashing between the blocks (the shortest sashing pieces) and and get those all pressed, ready to go, and lay them out again before I start adding the sashing between the rows. That helps me see if I have made any block placement errors before I start sewing everything together.
- Like I mentioned last week - pay close attention to where the long sashing strips attach to your blocks.
- Use the technique shown in the video below (it's the same video I posted last week) to line up your rows.
- I like to backstitch at the beginning/end of the rows when adding sashing, especially for on-point quilts like this one because it helps keep the fabric pieces from pulling apart.
I will be working on my own quilt top this week and will be posting videos on Instagram addressing all of these tips - they will be saved in my story highlights.
This is the longest quiltalong I have ever done - normally I like to start and finish a quilt in the same week so stretching the process over 8 weeks has been an interesting experience for me. If you have any thoughts about the length and pacing of the QAL, I would love to hear you feedback for the future.
My tentative plan is to do a QAL in a couple of months that is geared toward new quilters (of course everyone is welcome, but it will include more basic information and the pattern will be more simple). I am looking forward to sharing more information about that as it gets closer!