Monday, February 9, 2015

Quilt Alongs 101

Several members have requested information regarding Quilt Alongs so I thought I would share a few pointers and links where you can join in the fun.  Also, please share any information or tips you have regarding past or current quilt alongs.

There are many benefits to participating in a quilt along, depending on the type and whether it is currently in session. It's a great way to sew with others, learn tips and tricks, and keep on track with posted time frames.

Various types of quilt alongs can be found and are usually one of the following:
  • Hosted by a blog author who shares a tutorial and series of posts for making a quilted project
  • Quilt Along based on a published pattern (needs to be purchased) where you follow along in making that pattern.   The pattern designer may or may not be the host but has approved of the quilt along and sometimes offers tips.
  • Quilt along with pattern designed specifically for that purpose such as a block of the month or skill builder series.
In the past, most quilt alongs were posted on blogs but more and more are popping up on Instagram.  Hashtags make it easy to quickly browse pictures on Instagram from a particular quilt along.  Examples include #kcmqgsteampunkalong #economyblockalong #facingeastqal #nestedchurndash #floweringsnowballalong .  Flickr is another resource for quilt along posts.

Past quilt alongs of interest:

In case you want to join one from the beginning:

Timber Quilt Along has just been announced and starts March 2015.  This is based on Alison Glass's Timber quilt pattern (which is required).
Elephant Parade a free quilt along by Sew Fresh Quilts started February 2015.
Moccasin Block of the Month Club - through Gen X Quilters and started January 2015.  Fee involved.
Quilt Along Directory - an online directory of quilt alongs and linky parties


I've found some tutorials start off as a quilt along but then later become patterns or books, so keep that in mind ;-)  Pinwheel Sampler and Great Granny Along are two that I completed a while back but when referencing for this post I see are now only available for purchase.

I hope this post has shed some light on sew alongs and quilt alongs.  We've only touched on a few of many quilt alongs.  Do you know of any other great quilt alongs that are just now starting?  How about any past quilt alongs you have participated in?  What tips do you have regarding what makes a great quilt along?  Please leave a comment below.  The random number generator will pick a winner on March 1st for a quilty prize.

16 comments:

  1. Some of my friends are doing the Millefiore Quilt-Along based on the book The New Hexagon-52 Blocks to English Paper Piece. There's a Facebook group as well as hashtag on Instagram #thenewhexagonmillefiorequiltalong and #thenewhexagon I may join in after my EPP class at QuiltCon.

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  2. thank you for doing this Renee! I breezed through the listing and I see so many things I want to do.

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  3. Sounds fun! Thanks for the info. Joan Werla

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  4. Thank you Rene'. I can't seem to figure out how to get to them on instagram, although I can see the pics. This post is very helpful. Is it possible to do a Pinterest board of QALs and post them by month?

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  5. Oooo, new projects! Thank you, Rene'

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  6. Thanks for all this information . . . I didn't even know that I'd be interested but it sounds like fun, interesting to be in touch with others doing the same thing, too.

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  7. I love reading about QALs but I haven't participated in them because I don't feel able to commit to the time line set by the author but I have been inspired by many of them. Over Christmas break I read about the Penny Patch QAL and pulled fabrics and sketched my plan based on the quilt they made. It is a couple of years old but I still like it. You can find it here http://www.stitchedincolor.com/2013/10/penny-patch-beginners-quilt-along.html

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  8. This is great, Rene. I'm attracted by these as I DO need help staying on task, and deadlines help me! Still not quite understanding Instagram and how to search. I need to spend some time poking around on there and see if I can figure it out.

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  9. I like QAL, but have never done one. I tried a block of the month type QAL from Diary of a Quilter, but only finished 4 or so blocks.

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  10. I need to join one some day!

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  11. I have looked at a number of QALs, but not joined one yet. Once in a while I see one that I'm really interested in, but when I leave the computer, I forget about it! LOL

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  12. This is great, thanks René! How did you get involved in your Bees? Did any originate as QAL's?

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  13. I had no idea there were this many ways to get involved . . . thank you for the information!

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  14. What a great post. I'm not a member of your guild but I'm a MQG member and the founder of QuiltAlong.net, a site where I try and bring as much information about quilt alongs and blocks of the month from all around the web into one place to make them easier to discover! I'll have to add some of the information here to my site as well.

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