Monday, January 7, 2013

Starburst Quilt-A-Long - Intro, Fabric, and Prizes

It's here!!  The Starburst Quilt-A-Long officially starts today!!!  Today's post is going over everything you need to know to Quilt-A-Long.   There will be a post each Monday from now until Feb 18th with weekly assignments and then there will be a Parade and Grand Prizes on March 4th.  So . . . onto a little rundown on how it's going to work!!


THE HOW TO

The Starburst Quilt-A-Long is based on my Starburst design that I did last year.  Each quilt consists of 4 large Starburst blocks.   The design is given in 3 different sizes so you can choose to make your quilt 57" x 57" (24" blocks), 76" x 76" (32" blocks), or 95" x 95" (40" blocks).  This quilt is not made by making one block at a time but rather making one complete set of quilting units (goose in the corner blocks, half square triangles, and flying geese) at a time.  Once the units are done, then the blocks will be created.   I broke down the construction of the quilt into 5 weeks and then added an additional 2 weeks to get it basted, quilted, and bound.  The schedule will be as follows

January 14 - Cutting Post
January 21 - Goose in the Corner and Half Square Triangles
January 28 - Flying Geese
February 4 - Building Blocks - At least 2
February 11 - Finish Blocks and Sashing
February 18 - Baste it, Quilt it, Bind It
March 4 - Starburst Parade and Grand Prizes

So count on checking back each Monday to see what the next week's assignment will be.  You will want to try to keep up weekly as there will be prizes along the way!!  With that said,  there is a tutorial, so if you get super excited and feel the need to work ahead, go for it!!  Just be sure to take a picture of each weekly assignment so that you can link it up for the weekly prizes :)  Oh, and if you are new to quilting, no worries, this will be super beginner friendly! I will go through each step in great detail in the Monday posts.

THE FABRIC REQUIREMENTS

Quilt Top

Regardless of what size quilt you decide to make, you will need 12 fat quarters.  You can pull these from your stash or Julie at the Intrepid Thread  has put together 7 stunning Starburst Quilt-A-Long Custom Bundles.  They are listed in Fat Quarter Bundles, which is what you need.  But, if you really love a bundle and want a little extra for a second quilt or another project, Julie has also listed them in Half Yard Bundles.

I went ahead and put each custom bundle into the quilt layout so you could get an idea of how they will look in the quilt.  These bundles are at a special Quilt-A-Long discount price, but  there is another little surprise father down, think coupon code :)

Fairy Dell
  

Figs and Plums
 

Peaches No Pits

Frosty Autumn

Key Lime Strawberry Pie

Sun and Sea


 Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs


Aren't these just fabulous. Julie has impeccable taste in fabric!! Good Luck choosing a favorite!! It was a super hard choice for me, but in the end I decided I am going with Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs.  I am so excited!!

Background Fabric (solid white in quilt sketches)
Once you have chosen your 12 fat quarters you need to get your Background Fabric.  I would suggest using a solid for this.  The background fabric needed is as follows

For the 57" x 57" (24" blocks)  size you need 2 2/3 yards background fabric
For the 76" x 76" (32" blocks)  size you need 4 yards background fabric
For the 95" x 95" (40" blocks) size you need 6 1/3 yards background fabric

Binding
If you like scrappy bindings, there will be enough left over from your fat quarters to do a lovely scrappy bindings.  If you prefer a one fabric binding you will need the following:

For the 57" x 57" (24" blocks)  size you need  1/2 yard binding fabric
For the 76" x 76" (32" blocks)  size you need  5/8 yard binding fabric
For the 95" x 95" (40" blocks) size you need 3/4 yard binding fabric

Backing
If you like scrappy backings, piece your backing together to be at least 6" larger on all sides than your quilt top.  If you prefer a one fabric backing you will need the following:

For the 57" x 57" (24" blocks)  size you need 2 3/4 yards backing fabric
For the 76" x 76" (32" blocks)  size you need 4 1/2 yards backing fabric
For the 95" x 95" (40" blocks) size you need 9 yards backing fabric

Coupon Code!!!

Julie is not only offering these beautiful bundles at a tremendous price, but she is also giving members of the Starburst Quilt-A-Long another fabulous discount.  Use the coupon code STARBURST at your checkout and receive and extra 10% off your order.  This means you can get an extra 10% off your already low priced bundle as well as getting 10% off your background fabric, and if you so choose, your binding and backing.  Score!!  Thank you to Julie for this extra little perk!!


THE PRIZES

I am so very excited about the Prizes for this Quilt-A-Long!!  I don't know about you, but I know that I am highly more motivated to keep up and finish when there are prizes at stake ;)  So how about this for a little motivation.

All those that finish their quilt top will be eligible for the Grand Prize.  The Grand Prize's are sponsored by The Intrepid Thread and huge Thank You goes out to Julie for her generosity in these prizes.  Wan't to know what they are???

A $75.00 Gift Certificate that you can spend as you like!!  There will be 3 lucky Grand Prize winners and each will get their own little shopping spree at The Intrepid Thread!!  And if that whopping amount of fabric goodness isn't motivation, then I don't know what is!!



But . . . Sometimes it is hard to keep motivated when the end is so far away.  So for that . . . We have a little Weekly Motivation.  Each week you will be able to link up (You don't have to have a blog to link up, you can link to a flickr picture :) your completed assignment for a chance to win the weekly prize.    These Weekly Prizes are sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop and a huge thank-you goes out to Kimberly and her team for their support in this Quilt-A-Long!!!


So ya,  there is lots of wonderful fabric to be won!!!  So keep up and sew on!!!

BUTTONS AND FLICKR

 Now down to the last of the nitty gritty.  First, If you are Quilting-A-Long and have a blog, It would be wonderful if you added the button to your blog :)   It really helps to spread the word and  the more that Quilt-A-Long the better!!!  If you have already added the button, thank you!!!

 
 

Second, I would love it if you joined the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Flickr group.  You can post your fabric here, your progress, ask questions, ect.   And it is a super fun place to get to chat along with everyone participating :)  

LET'S GET GOING!!
So that just about wraps it up!!!  This week's assignment, round up your fabric.  Next Monday you will be getting your cutting assignments.  (And you will have a whole week to cut your fabric so if you don't have it by next Monday, it's okay, you still have some time :)

 If you have any questions at all regarding the Quilt-A-Long please do not hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com.  I don't want anyone to not participate because they are confused by my rambling :)  I am just so excited, I can't wait for next Monday!!!
Pin It!

38 comments:

  1. Wow, I love this block!i would join in but I just don't have time to commit to everything I love in blog land at the moment! I'll probably print the instructions and do it later. Thank you for offering this.

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  2. This looks like so much fun..I have never joined a QAL before, but this one looks like something I would like to do. Unfortunately, I am going to be out of town for the whole next month :( so cant join with you. Like Sarah, I might try in my own, but that wont be as much fun...sorry :(

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  3. Oh my stars! This is beautiful! I'm going to think about this one, as I've got a lot to do this month.

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  4. I'm in! I have question, about the sizes. I peeked at the tutorial and I wondered if there is a border or something, that takes the 40" blocks and ends up with the 95" x 95" finished size? Okay, off to plot my fabric choices :D

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  5. I think I will do a 3x3x3 (9block) setting. I have my fabrics ready to go.

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  6. I just signed up! I am super excited and a little nervous as this is my first Quilt-A-Long! I hope I can keep up! I have only been quilting for a little over a year. Thank you for this opportunity!

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  7. Mel, I will try and keep up, For my new year, I am trying to join a bunch of groups I watched play last year and your quilt is stunning and I need the practice too and I know how supportive you are, I added your button to my blog. ? where did you go to design a button. I want to have a Blog birthday linky party and invite everyone, and I think I need a button.......thank you

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  8. I think I have the perfect fabric for this!

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  9. Lovely design. I don't know if I'm ready to juggle one more project but I just might try.

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  10. Great design.I`m in but don´t quilting quickly because I handquilting but I must try have fun and play.

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  11. I have a few fabrics in my stash that I think will be perfect for this project. This will get me going.

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  12. Is it cheating to just make one into a pillow? I'm trying not to over-commit this year. ;)

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  13. Yay! I just found your tutorial today and then realized you were starting the quilt along too. I am going to do a single 40" block to make a baby quilt for my baby boy. I am using Michael Miller's dumb dot in sea and a dark gray cotton couture.

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  14. Oh, I'm in! I ordered Fairy Dell from Intrepid Thread. Looking forward to keeping on task with this project - thanks!

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  15. I'm excited about his quilt along, already know what fabrics I'm going to use. I'll be putting your button on my blog soon.

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    1. Sometimes I don't notice spelling errors from my iPad. I meant to say I'm excited about "this" quilt along.

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  16. I'm in! I've been wanting to make a quilt for my youngest daughter for sometime now and I think this is the perfect pattern for her! I'm going to try and get my mother involved, as well. She caught the quilting bug from me, but lives far away by herself, so she hasn't done anything much yet. I'll be seeing her next week and I'm going to try and motivate her a little by us doing this together. I've never done a quilt-along before, so this will be fun! To make my husband happy, I think I'll be pulling from my stash, but those lovely bundles by Julie sure are tempting.... :)

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  17. Are international residents welcome for this quilt along and giveaways.I live in UK and wud luc to be part of this

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  18. Count me in! I've posted about your quilt along on my blog at:
    http://busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com/2013/01/are-you-participating-in-starburst.html

    Mrs.Hearts

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  19. So so tempted to add it to my crazy to do list this month... I may even use this as the backing for a quilt that I have tonnes of leftover fabric from! Would it matter if I ended up doing a slightly different layout??

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  20. I just ordered all my fabric and some minky backing, and am so excited to start this! My husband told me to pick out something for my birthday, this is perfect!

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  21. I want to take part in this QAL and although I love the bundles that Julie is offering I reallllllly must use my stash. I'm wavering between the smallest size and the middle size. Hmmmmmmm.

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  22. I wasn't planning on starting any new projects until February because I'm in the process of moving, but I love this quilt so much! And it's perfect because I picked up Indie but didn't know what to make with it, and after seeing your quilt how could I do anything else? So now I'm motivated to finish up my move this weekend so I can dive in - thanks for putting the QAL together!!

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    1. Kayla, I feel you! I'm moving in a few weeks AND I'm using Indie FQ's. We'll see if I can keep up!

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  23. I really don't need to start another quilt, but here I come!! :-P I have to hide it from my family (which is hard to do since I sew in the dining room right on the dinner table!! ) but this is so pretty that I can't resist!! I pinned the quilt along on my quilts pin board since I don't have a blog. See you next Monday!! Helen in Healdsburg

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  24. Awesome! I'm in :-). Off to check out my stash and make some choices ready for tomorrow. Thanks for the pattern and the quilt-a-long!

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  25. I'm in. Your design is perfect for a quilt for my sister-in-law fabric choices. Thanks for all your work on the quilt a long.

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  26. I'm all in... I will be doing this scrappy--I HAVE TO use up some of my beautiful scraps I have been hording for all these years :)

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  27. And that is what Digital Printing Fabric is for. You can get quality work from that process including this, it's a wonderful technology actually and that is not something that you see everyday although it is starting to get more common these days.

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  28. Gorgeous QAL, love this pattern. Jane

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  29. Okay, posted my color choices on Flikr.....this is my first time on Flikr. Woo hoo!! And I'm going to cut my fabrics tonight. Yippee!

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  30. Question for you - I'm going to be ambitious here and attempt to make three simultaneously. I have a triple bridal shower coming up soon, and want to make them matching (but different colored) quilts. Just out of curiousity, can I count them three times in each drawing, or do I just get one entry?

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  31. Ooh, the sun and sea bundle is gorgeous. It doesn't seem to be available any more, do you have a list of the fabrics in it? Prob couldn't get involved in the QAL, but intruiged to know which fabrics they are!

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    1. Just email Julie at Intrepid Thread. I have been...she's really flexible, she's so nice and she'll tell you what she put in it. She put them together, so it never hurts to ask ! (my opinion!)

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Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I just love hearing from you!!
Have a Happy Quilting Day :)

Melissa