2,268 squares - sewn smarter with the workroom NOTES
Published about 12 hours ago • 4 min read
Folks are making great progress in the Weekender Bag Sew Along
Hello Reader
We officially opened up signups for the Tilda Flower Branch Embroidery Quilt Community Sew Along earlier this week. It was so fun to see the immediate response for this virtual event which will be starting up on Monday June 8th. The preorder for the Quilt Kits is also live with a deadline of Monday April 27th to guarantee your kit and get 10% off.
You do not need a kit to join us - Grab a copy of this free pattern and map out your own version. You just need small amounts of twenty eight colours (less than a FQ - Half Metre) - plus yardage for the background. Registration for the event is free for members of our online community - the workroom studio or sign up here.
While the sewing for this quilt is very simple - every square is exactly the same size. The original pattern has you cutting and sewing 2268 individual squares one by one. I've come up with a way that I think should save us half the time in cutting and sewing by simply organizing all the colours into pairs and strip piecing most of the pieces before subcutting them down. I've created a very detailed guide called - the workroom NOTES, that walks you through the whole process and gives you everything you need to stay organized. If we reach 75 registered quilters, we'll print and include a proper paper booklet edition for every participant with their kits. (mailing fee applies if bought separately) Just think how satisfying it will be to have your checklists, swatch cards and all the notes for this Sew Along sitting beside your sewing machine as you work through this project.
We'll meet for four Monday evening Zoom sessions over nine weeks (giving lots of time for sewing in between), you'll have a PDF copy of the workroom Notes to give you everything you need to make this quilt smarter, and access to our online Community Sew Along space where you can watch the video replays, post your progress and questions alongside a a community of people making this pixel quilt with you.
The best part of a sew along is doing it with people who are as excited as you are. Our current Weekender Sew Along has been so much fun - lots of great discussion and some really clever customizations coming together, like trolley sleeves and quilted bottoms. Sewing with friends is always the best.
I hope you'll join us for the Flower Branch Sew Along. If you're not sure whether this project is right for you, or you have any questions about the kit or the method, just hit reply - I'm always happy to chat it through with you.
Happy Making, Karyn
p.s. Our third Weekender Sew Along Zoom is on Monday at 7pm! Registration remains open for anyone who wants to make this bag with us. You'll get immediate access to the existing replays and notes with the Zoom link for the next two sewing sessions.
Kits ship the week of May 15, giving you plenty of time to prep before our first session on June 8.Save $30 when you add any kit + the Community Sew-Along to your cart.
p.s. A few folks have inquired about a darker background option - we can set you up with a grey chambray background kit if you like, just let us know in the notes of your order. If we have enough inquiries we can also set this up officially as an option.
MERCHANT & MILLS PATTERNS Earlier this week, I asked for your feedback on which patterns you wanted to learn to sew in class next (here on Instagram if you want to add your two cents). So many of your requests were Merchant & Mills patterns like the Sanda, the Shepherd Skirt and the Factory Dress - stay tuned - those will be part of our next class release. In the meantime - don't forget we carry the entire digital catalog of Merchant & Mills patterns (buy the PDF or add on an A0 print out), along with most of their paper patterns too.
STITCH OVERVIEW : Triple Straight & Zig Zag We are currently half way through our new six week Sewing Machine Essentials workshop. This week we talked about some of the main stitches on the machine. The triple straight/zig zag stitch does a reinforced stitch that is great for high stress seams or decorative top stitching. Have you tried this one before? You don't need special thread to get a bold top stitch with the Triple Straight Stitch.
Tilda Chambray Tilda Chambray is a beautiful soft cotton in a lovely range of colours. We've added yardage for pre-order if you'd like to plan some for other projects - like garments and bedding! Some folks love it so much they have asked for full bolts. (this is always an option if you ask)
Kona Solid Bundles A few folks have grabbed a few of our curated solid bundles to make their own version of the Flower Branch Embroidery Quilt - we're excited to see these unique versions come together.
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