Ah, week 8… all we have left to do is combine our blocks and we’ll be done!
How to Quilt Along
Share your progress on Instagram using #glitchalong. That’s where you’ll find the weekly photo prompts, livestreams, and more! Sign up here to be eligible for prizes, and get the weekly emails with tips for the coming week’s fun.
Schedule
Week 1: Pick your fabric, get your pattern, print your foundations, plan your coloring sheet
Week 2: Cut
Week 3: Make Thick Strip Sets
Week 4: Make Block 1s
Week 5: Make Thin Strip Sets
Week 6: Make Block 2s
Week 7: Make Blocks 3s & 4s
Week 8: Sew blocks into pairs
Week 9: Sew pairs into quadrants
Week 10: Finish quilt top
In most QALs, this is the easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy part, like a lovely picnic on a bright, sunny day. Birds singing, a flowy sundress, trees full of apple blossoms providing the perfect amount of shade. Our heroine relaxes, crossed ankles, sipping a mimosa, laughing while she eats her salad.
This is not that kind of QAL.
We’ve spent the past 7 weeks getting to know our heroine and really, truly care about her. We’re invested in her happily-ever-after. But we can hear the drums and electric guitars, and we know that we’re coming up on the hard-hard-lemon-hard part.
Prepare for battle!
Refer to your Coloring Page and lay out your blocks in a grid. I like to label each block with a row and column number. I either pin a scrap of paper on or use a chalk pencil to mark directly on the back of the block. Make sure that your label shows you which way the block should be oriented (which side is up). Check your Coloring Page, then check it again.
Anywhere that two stripped blocks come together in a V, choose one block and press the seam allowances the opposite way. Here, I’ll be nice and tell you exactly which ones. When you get to these blocks, you’ll be happy to have seams that nest.
Sew blocks together in pairs
Our objective this week is to go from 64 blocks to 32 pairs of blocks. Some pairs will be easier than others!
Easy: pairs where at least one block has a plain triangle on the edge you’re joining. The only points to match are at the corner.
Also easy: blocks where the stripes meet in a V shape, whether or not the stripes are the same thickness. If you’ve flipped your seam allowances, you’re in seam nesting heaven.
Not so easy: Seams where you want the stripes to look like they continue from one block to the next. If you’re ok with lines that are a little bit off, I applaud your ability to let it go. Truly, I do. Sadly, I’m a wee bit more obsessive about the little things and rip out stitches until I get it right.
All about that baste
If you want your stripes to line up perfectly, your best bet is to use some basting stitches, then check your alignment before stitching with a regular stitch length. If your alignment is off, nudge your fabrics to compensate, or score an indent to help you see the seam underneath.
32 seams. You can do this. When you’re surrounded by blood and sweat and broken needles, bits of thread clinging to your bruised body, know that I’m cheering you on and whispering words of encouragement from the past.
Share!
Remember to share your progress on Instagram using #glitchalong
Giveaway!
This week we have 2 prizes! The first prize is a PDF Pattern of your choice sponsored by The Cloth Parcel!
We are Diane and Audrey, the mom/daughter duo behind The Cloth Parcel. We write all of our quilt and sewing patterns together, usually to fill a need for one or both of us. We love working together, and besides the patterns we write on our own, we write patterns regularly for Bluprint quilt kits and the Moda Bake Shop blog.
Win a PDF copy of any of The Cloth Parcel‘s quilt or sewing patterns! With over 20 patterns to choose from, you’ll definitely find something fun for your next project. Their patterns range from precut-friendly quilts to unique bags. Some of their favorites are the Woodland Wander Quilt and the Weekend Market Tote.
The Conservatory quilt pattern 
Weekend Market Tote
The second prize is your choice of 3 Sew Fine Thread Gloss scents by Jenn McMillan!
Jenn McMillan is a graphic designer, modern quilter and the maker
behind Sew Fine Thread Gloss.
No more tangled, knotted or static-y threads! Sew Fine Thread Gloss is made with locally sourced beeswax and subtly scented to make your hand sewing a more enjoyable experience. This prize pack consists of three tins of your choice!
Head over to today’s Instagram post for the details!
As a bonus, check your Glitch-Along email for a discount code for 20% off your order of Sew Fine Thread Gloss from October 7 to 13!