Bedding Plants QAL

PART ONE OF THE QAL CAN BE FOUND HERE 

PART TWO OF THE QAL CAN BE FOUND HERE (CONTAINS NEEDLE-TURN APPLIQUE TUTORIAL)

Finally, after a year of broken promises I am ready to launch the Bedding Plants QAL!!

This is actually the first Quilt Along I have ever hosted and there is a surprising amount of work involved!  The main thing that has slowed me down was making the new version of the quilt. Although I love the original pretty vintage style version in the book, I had always intended to make a new more modern version ahead of the QAL.  I had hoped to launch this last summer but the fabrics I had planned to use were held up with the Pandemic and then it became difficult to get all sorts of fabrics. And then I got very involved in our Thread House Club BOM and so this got postponed till this Spring.

I am so happy to launch this today and share my new version of the quilt and the badge I designed!

QUILT ALONG!

Welcome to the Bedding Plants QAL!  The plan is to make the quilt, which features in my New Patchwork and Quilting Book, over the course of 3 1/2 months this summer. As this row quilt has 6 different flowers we will take 2 weeks to stitch each flower row with extra time at the end for putting it all together.

The Bedding Plants quilt is a fantastic skill builder and, along with all the info in my book, the QAL and accompanying blog posts will be a great way to gain confidence in your quilt making abilities while creating this stunning heirloom quilt. Techniques featured in this quilt are:

• Foundation Paper Piecing
• Needle-turn applique
• HST and other quick piecing techniques
• Curve piecing

I will be posting extra tips tricks and tutorials over here every two weeks to help you with each flower. You’ll also have all the excellent instructions in New Patchwork and Quilting Basics.

The only thing you will need to take part in the QAL is a copy of my book.

The book is available worldwide from all good bookshops or you can purchase a signed copy here from my website.

You might also like to consider buying a digital copy (e book) from the publishers here, this does make printing templates so much easier!

I want this QAL to be very relaxed and fun with no pressure so if you don’t want to make a whole quilt then no worries, you can just make a flower or two! As well as the technical help I’ll also be making a different small project for every flower and sharing my deas for things like, pillows, pouches and bags.

When I did a book tour last year a few of the participants made cute wee projects with the flowers like these mini quilts or mats. The Poppy is by Svetlana and the Rose is by Sarah.

And Kerry had a go at the tulips below. I love seeing the different interpretations and this is going to be one of the best things about the QAL!

I’m going to be using a really wide range of fabrics for these new mini projects and also hoping to finish this new version of my Workshop Bag using Sally Kelly’s Solstice fabric.

I started this last summer with the thought of doing a mini SAL as a warm up to this main one, but alas life got in the way again! And I haven’t even finished the bag.

But you can see here how you can mix the different flowers together with interesting results.

So basically I’d love as many people as possible to join in with the QAL and make some pretty fabric flowers!

KIT

My new version of the quilt still needs it’s borders but you get the idea, and in fact here is an image of them ready and waiting to stitch.

I have been racing to finish this new version so I could get the quantites right for providing a kit, order the fabric and know I could get it in time for the QAL starting date.

The kit is now listed on my website as a PRE-ORDER. Head over here to view or purchase. Because I have a more limited range of fabrics for this version the kit does not contain quite as much fabric as the original, though still more than enough to make the quilt and have options for changing around your fabric placement should you wish.

This new, more modern version of the quilt, uses gorgeous shades from the Art Gallery Fabric Floral Elements range (one of my favourite blenders) and Robert Kaufman Essex Linen Yarn-dyed in Black for the background.

Kit image shown is just a representation and does not show the full amount in each kit.

I have collaborated with the lovely Jessie of Sew and Quilt who have produced a stunning kit version of the original book quilt for those that prefer this look. Head here to view and purchase.

If you are in the USA then Morris Textile are putting together their own version of the quilt using Liberty quilting cottons. This will be available very soon! Head here to find out more.  If you are in North America and would like to purchase this version of the kit then I am on the hunt for a collaborating quilt store to offer this.  It seems crazy to order US fabric from the UK so please email me before ordering from here!

Of course there is no need to buy new fabric for this quilt, why not use your stash instead? This is actually a fantastic scrap buster. You will need yardage for background, border and sashing but otherwise everything can come out of your scrap pile!

PRIZES!

I’ve been putting aside a mahoosive pile of goodies with this QAL for a while now and this is just some of it below!

And not only that but I will be working with different sponsors to provide a giveaway prize at the end of each of the flower row fortnights! So even if you just make one or two flowers you will still be eligible to enter the prize draw!

All you need to do is use the hashtag #beddingplantsQAL on Instagram and I will choose a winner from the posts of flowers for the relevant row. I will also be opening a private Facebook group especially for the QAL and all those posting flowers there will be entered too.

At the completion of the QAL I will be hosting a link-up party here on the blog and all those adding their finished quilt, or unquilted top will be entered to win the huge prize that I’m still collecting for! All this info will be shared in more detail nearer the time too.

So what do you need to join the Bedding Plants QAL?  Simply a copy of my book and the willingness to take part.

I’ll be posting updates nearer the time but if you are ready to start pulling fabric and planning your quilt (or ordering your kit!) then don’t forget to add the hashtag to any social media posts.

I do hope you will join me!

Right I better get those borders stitched on!