Hi friends,
Some of you might just be joining us this week, if you are welcome! If you missed the first couple of blog posts about the Snowalong you can find them here:
Here on out in the sew along it's pretty smooth sailing. We have the majority of the hard work out of the way - cutting and making HST. This week we will be making blocks 6 - 7 - 8 on the Snowflake quilt and blocks D E (top) on the Asterisks quilt.
This week is a fun one for those of you making the Snowflake quilt because you will start to see your snowflake emerge from the background. You might also be playing catch up this week and that's totally fine. You will see that the quilts come together rather quickly once you get into block making mode so there is time to catch up.
If you just purchased a Snowflake or Asterisks quilt pattern and need a little help deciding on what fabrics you might like to use, you can check out some amazing Snowflake and Asterisks kits curated by these shops.
Week 2: Snowflake Quilt / Blocks 6 - 7 - 8
This week on the Snowflake quilt we have three blocks to complete: Blocks 6 - 7 - 8. I love seeing the snowflake start to pop out on these blocks. For my Snowflake quilt this year I am doing the Buffalo Check layout - you can find more info here on this post.
When sewing these blocks I like to work in rows of 4, press open my seams (pr to the side if that is your preference), then join the 6 rows together. You will want to reference your coloring sheet for any special design you may have planned out and be careful on the placement of your snowflake squares and HST.
1-Color and 4-Color Versions:
The block layouts for the 1-color and 4-color versions are also pretty straight forward as well. This will be your first week sewing anything together so take care when pulling cut pieces for your blocks. You should have no problem with figuring out which pieces to pull, but utilize your cutting tabs if needed.
In the pattern I have laid out my preferred order of sewing blocks together. I also prefer to press open my seams, but please choose your preferred method.
Here you can see my progress so far! You can really start to see how the snowflake fits into the buffalo check on the background. My lightest gray is pretty close to my snowflake - but it will really stand out once I get more of it sewn together.
Week 2: Asterisks Quilt / Blocks D E (top)
This seek on the Asterisks quilt we only have 2 blocks to work on: Blocks D E (top). Top is in reference to the upper part of the quilt layout since there is another set at the bottom of the quilt (flipped another direction).
If you are doing a scrappy background be mindful of any directional prints if that is a concern of yours. The nice thing about this quilt is that it can be turned any direction - there is no right side up to this pattern.
I mentioned chain piecing or webbing your blocks in week 1 of the sew along as a way to make constructing your blocks easier.
Also - you can start to sew your rows together once you complete them if it helps you keep everything in order.
What to expect in Week 3
In week 3 we will be starting our third column on the Snowflake quilt completing 3 blocks: 9 - 10 - 11. The Asterisks quilt will be similar to this week - making 2 blocks: F G, allowing us to complete the second row.... this means we are about halfway done!
Feel free to sew ahead or take a break off as needed. From here on out you will only have two or three blocks each week to make it manageable. You might even decide you are having so much fun you want to start up a second one!
Be sure to tag your projects using #snowalong on social media or add your progress photos to the Modern Handcraft Pattern Group on Facebook so we can all see your amazing work!
Happy sewing friends!
Nicole