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Glimmer & Gleam QAL 1

Glimmer & Gleam QAL 1

Written by: 
Sarah Maxwell

Welcome to the first installment of our Glimmer & Gleam Quilt-Along!

 

The quilt features a colorful array of 30 Grunge fabrics arranged in a color progression.

 

If you're sewing along, we'll make the quilt in 9 sections so you'll have a finished top by the autumn.

Make sure you have your pattern and kit from your favorite shop!

 

 

Sarah's covering some basic informatio about the quilt, the pattern and recommended notions in the video below.

 

To keep your fabrics organized throughout the quiltalong, consider labeling them for easy reference like this:

 

Review the pattern's General Instructions to understand the half-square triangle and flying geese method used in the pattern!

 

Now that you've organized your fabric and gathered your notions, it's time to start cutting fabrics for the first installment. All the cutting directions are listed on page 1-1. Make sure to keep track of each piece so you can easily find what you need to make each block and unit in this section.

 

Pause to congratulate yourself on cutting all the colors!

 

We're starting with Block A1--the large blue star block. Refer to the General Instructions for the HST method used in the pattern. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of one background square. Layer right sides together with the print square. Stitch 1/4" away from each side of the drawn line.

 

 

For the Flying Geese units, draw the diagonal line on the print square, layer on the background rectangle, and stitch directly on the drawn line. Trim the exces fabric and flip over the small triangle. Pay careful attention to color palcement of the two blues that make up the Flying Geese unit.

 

Lets talk pressing and how to get really sharp points on our pinwheels.

 

Using the fork pin technique yields really share points on our pinwheels!

 

Follow the assembly directions in the pattern to join your block units and make your first large start block.

 

Repeat these same steps to piece Block A2 and A3.

 

The next section of the pattern focuses on some of the four patch blocks used in the border. You'll make a few of these each month so when you reach Month 9, the border won't be so overwhelming.

 

The blocks are made by piecing a background strip and print strip together and then cutting small segments from the strips.

 

Finally, the last sectino of Month 1 focuses on some of the spacer units that separate the star blocks. The first spacer unit has 24 small squares of varying prints. The easiest way to organize this is to lay out the squares in order near your machine, and then stitch them together in rows.

 

 

Make the two spacer units, and congratulate yourself for finishing Section 1!

Store your blocks and units in a safe place until next month. And be sure to save any leftover fabric, just in case!

 

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Find the Glimmer & Gleam QAL pattern at your favorite quilt shop!

And make sure to follow @modafabrics and Sarah Maxwell @sjmax105 for additional tips!

 

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