Helloooooo

Anyone else as excited as I am? Today is finally the first day of our Lemon Squeezy Quiltalong and I cant wait to see what adventures we have in store for us over the next few weeks as we work towards a gorgeous quilt. If you are in our Facebook group – Lemon Squeezy Quiltalong –  you can see the conversation has already started and some pretty wonderful pics are being shared! The thing I love most about this pattern is that it is so versatile and will suit so many different approaches, from scrappy to structured.

Tonight I will give an overview on how I will run the Quiltalong (hint – as relaxed as possible) and then we can start getting into the fun stuff – fabric!

Welcome

For those just joining in now lets do a quick overview. The quiltalong starts tonight and will run over the following weeks:

Introduction Post: Sunday 2 February – What are our plans?
Week 1: Sun 16 February – Welcome to the Quiltalong and Fabric selections
Week 2: Sun 23 February – Cutting our fabrics
Week 3: Sun 1 March – Making our first lot of blocks (Block A)
Week 4: Sun 8 March – Making our Block B blocks
Week 5: Sun 15 March – Laying out and assembling our quilts
Week 6: Sun 22 March – Finishing off

 

If you would like to sign up to the newsletter to get Quiltalong content delivered straight to your inbox you can do so here.

If you haven’t purchased the pattern yet then it is waiting for you here.

Each Sunday night (in Adelaide, Australia) I will put up the blog post for the week ahead. In that post I will share the task for the upcoming week and give some hints to help with success. Then we will deep dive in the Facebook group and get into specifics. To join the group you must have purchased the PDF pattern already as we will be discussing content specific to the pattern. I may even be convinced to do a couple of videos if the need arises …..

We have prizes along the way too. I have some incredibly generous sponsors who will spoil you rotten  and I will share more about their businesses over the coming weeks so you can get to know them and what they do.

Lets not forget too that those who subscribe via the newsletter and join the Facebook group will receive a discount code from our major sponsor Bebeloush Designs.

Let’s Talk Fabric

Now for my favourite part – fabric!

Those of you who joined me for my Patchwork Pillow Sham Sewalong a couple of years ago may remember this image I shared. It still remains relevant today.

When choosing fabric for the Lemon Squeezy Quilt there is really no right or wrong way – the pattern is so versatile it will suit most directions you choose. If you go with your own tastes and loves then chances are you will create something beautiful for you. We all have completely different tastes and styles and learning yours is an integral part of the quilting process. Over the years I have learnt I am happiest playing with bright clear colours like pink and turquoise and if it is a large-scale floral even better! They are the prints that make me smile and I am automatically switched on creatively when I see them. However this is not always the case and the fabrics I have chosen for this Quiltalong hit me right in the feels with their delicious whimsy and sense of fun. I will share more about the fabrics I am using shortly.

Lets discuss those steps in more detail:

1. Always start with one main print. That will be your building block for the rest of your fabric selections. I recommend using a favourite one, that will always make you happy when you look it.
2. Once you have your main print have a good look at it – what colors are in or go with it to make it sing? Audition your other fabrics along side it and be discerning. Do they do it justice but still look great on their own? I am a huge fan of selecting within ranges as you can rarely go wrong, the designer has done all the hard work for you. That said I am NOT a fan of fabrics being there for the sake of it and rarely choose the blender prints unless I like them, I love my fabrics to all be interesting and willing to show off. It is part of my personal style. It may however not be yours, choose based on how you feel and you will rarely produce something you dislike.
3. Add different patterns and print scales for interest – quilting was never meant to be boring. Interestingly it is sometimes the prints you think will look weird together that look the best – be brave.
4. Now you have auditioned your final fabrics have a look at them all together. Are you in love? Is one annoying you or does it feel wrong. Take it out and pick another. If you trust your gut you will know when you have got it right.

Now when we are choosing fabrics specifically for Lemon Squeezy I think 9 prints is a fantastic minimum amount to aim for.

I made this gorgeous Jos Proust one with 6 fabrics and it still worked and looked beautiful but at the time I wished there had been a few more in the range to make laying out easier – it was a real job to not accidentally create a secondary pattern I didn’t want.

On the other hand this gorgeous version made for Shannyn had lots of lovely interest both in colour and pattern. Those amazing Alexander Henry cats were a clear and wonderful starting point from which the other fabrics were chosen, each gorgeous and striking in their own right.
Sidenote: I may have made a few Lemon Squeezy quilts since I first designed the pattern lol.

So that is my take on how to best choose fabrics for your Lemon Squeezy quilt. Still stuck? Pop into the Facebook group and let myself and the wonderful members there help you with the final decisons. Remember we are all here to help you be as successful as possible with your make.

Now lets talk about the fabrics I will be using over the next few weeks. Like I said earlier it was the whimsy that caught my eye and I just knew I had to play. Introducing Dreamworld by Emily Winfield Martin for Riley Blake Designs. I wont lie – those kids riding animals stole my heart and I couldnt look back. Some of the range is glow in the dark too – I may be outrageously excited about that too.

Now one of the wonderful things about this range is the Panel that comes with it. I will be using this to cut my feature squares for the blocks, accepting i may need to get creative with sizes as a result. I KNOW the end result will be worth it though.

If time permits I am going to make another quilt at the same time as this one which ties in with my #operationstash challenge. I have so many wonderful scraps and fabrics that I know will be perfect for the quilt and am hoping I get the time to that made at the same time – I will let you know how I go!

So there you have it – Week 1 is a wrap! I am dying to see what fabrics you choose for your quilt so please please PLEASE share either in the Facebook group or on social media using the hashtag #lemonsqueezyqal – there may even be a cheeky prize at the end of this week for the fabric pull that makes my heart the happiest ….

Speaking of prizes lets welcome My Fabricology to our Sponsor Family. Susan has kindly donated this fat quarter bundle as a prize which will be gifted at the end of Week 4. How lucky are we!

Now one last thing before I go and that is drawing the winner of last week’s mini comp. I asked for a quiltalong image to be shared on Instagram for the chance to win a pattern refund. I am super excited to say that Silvana Freeman is the winner this week – congratulations! Please email me at hello@piccolostudio.com.au and we will get that happening asap.

Now go and select some pretty fabrics for me to drool over!

Sarah x