The Carly Quiltalong

Are you ready for a quiltalong? Starting March 14th, we will be quiltalong-ing with the Carly Quilt Pattern.

I am still working out some of the details, but here is a tentative schedule:

March 14 - Planning/Prepping

March 21 - Cutting Your Fabric

March 28 - HST Construction

April 4 - Block Construction

April 11 - Quilt Top Construction

April 18 - Quilting and Finishing Your Quilt

Note that there isn't a week for discussing fabric selection - I am going to start that now (yes right now in this post!) so that you have plenty of time to gather your materials and order your fabric if you need to. 

Here are a few things to consider:

Scrappy or non-scrappy?

This quilt works with both - and I am going to work on both during the quitlalong. If you are making the scrappy version, go ahead and get started with cutting your squares. These squares will be turned into HSTs when we make our quilts.

How many squares do you need? That will depend on the quilt size that you are making. You need (8) squares for each block (not counting the background fabric). Look at the table at the end of the "Block Construction" section of the pattern which tells you the total number of blocks to make and multiply that number by 8. If you are making the baby size, that will be 9 x 8 = 72 so you need 72 squares. If you are making the lap size, that would be 30 x 8 = 240, etc.

The instructions for the background fabric won't change. Cut the number in the table whether you are cutting your background fabric from scraps or yardage. 

How much fabric do you need for the non-scrappy version?

This lap size quilt uses fat quarters, yay! The requirements are listed below. If you are making the lap size (like I will be), you need 20 total fat quarters (5 each for Fabric A, B, C, and D) plus yardage for the background fabric.

Is this is a good stashbuster? 

Yes! I am possibly going to be pulling from my stash for my quilt. This pattern is very forgiving so if you are looking at putting together your own stack of fabrics for a quilt, this is a great time to give it a try.

Can I use solids?

This quilt works very well with solids!

What types of fabrics won't work well? 

This quilt doesn't particularly work well for really large scale prints. You will also want to shy away from fabrics that will blend into your background fabric.

Is this beginner friendly? 

Yes-ish. It isn't hard to construct, but there will be a decent amount of trimming involved and accuracy is important. If you have made a quilt or two and are feeling confident, I think you are ok to give it a try (especially with the guidance of the quiltalong).

My next pattern (the Hannah Quilt, which will actually be released during this quiltalong) is perfect for beginners. I will be doing a quiltalong with that pattern in a couple of months that will be geared toward new quilters (although anyone is welcome to join in).

Are there prizes?

No, I'm not doing prizes this time. As fun as they are, I want to the focus of the quiltalong to be the joy of making the quilt and the community that comes along with that. Plus, I just don't have the mental bandwidth to juggle prizes along with all of the other things that go along with the quiltalong. 

How do I participate?

Information for the quiltalong will be posted here on the blog and in my feed/stories on Instagram. There will also be an email sent out every week with all of the links and info from the quiltalong. Click here to sign up. 

Are you guys excited? I will be sharing more info as the start date gets closer, especially on Instagram. I am planning on pulling fabric for one quilt from my stash which I am very excited about - yay for playing with fabric!