Let It Shine QAL Week 2
Let It Shine Quilt Along - Week 2
Piece Smaller Units
Welcome back to Week 2 of the Let It Shine Quilt Along! By this time, you should have your fabric prepped, cut, and ready to go. Now let’s get to what we’re all here for - sewing!
Before we begin, here are some helpful links:
Week 2
This week, we’ll start off by testing our ¼” seam allowance before we start sewing. It’s important to have the scant ¼” seam so that all of our units that we’re making today will fit together nicely next week within our large blocks.
If you haven’t found your ¼” seam allowance before, try testing it out on some scraps first. Also, you can make one of the corner units in this quilt as a test. Make the corner unit block and then set your ruler on top of one of the seams to test the ¼” seam. Also, measure the overall block. If your corner unit block comes out too large, then the seam allowance is too small. If the corner unit block comes out too small, then your seam allowance is too big.
There seems to be two different camps when it comes to pressing seams. One camp presses to the side, and the other presses seams open. I personally love pressing seams to the side because I like nesting seams when I can. However, there are times when pressing seams open is helpful. When constructing the sawtooth star block and the quarter square triangle block, there are multiple seams coming together and it helps your quilt to lay flat if those seams are pressed open. Also, I like to use a tailor’s clapper to help weigh down the seams and make them even flatter.
Another tip while making this quilt is by using the fabric swatch chart that can be downloaded for free here. This helped me keep all of my pieces organized for making my scrappy quilt. Use this chart throughout the sewing process.
You may chain piece the following blocks as I do in the video. Or you can also focus on making one block at a time if that helps you stay more organizes. As long as you’re using a fabric swatch chart, you should be able to chain piece to help save time.
Flying Geese Block
One tip with flying geese is to pay attention to the trimming. I like to make oversized flying geese to ensure that I can trim them to the right size and make perfect points. Use a ruler to help trim by following the guidelines in the video.
Quarter Square Triangle Block
When constructing this block, make sure your orientation of the fabrics matches the pattern. Also, trim your blocks so that they are uniform and measure 4.5” x 4.5” I like to use a half square triangle ruler to trim the blocks easily before pressing the seams.
Corner Units and Inner Units
These blocks are easily constructed following the pattern. If you are using directional prints, you may want to make sure you have prints oriented a certain direction. The only directional print I had was a print with birds. I couldn’t always make sure I had the birds facing the right way, but I chose the nicest pieces that featured the birds for certain placements in the blocks.
Week 2 Prize
Each week, there will be an opportunity to enter to win a prize. This week, the winner will win a PDF copy of the Life+Quilts Planner and a PDF Quilt Pattern from Wild Plum Lane.
To enter:
- Only public Instagram accounts are eligible for entry.
- Take a photo of your progress this week, and share it on IG.
- Tag me @fieldstone.fabric and use hashtags #letitshinequilt #letishineqal
- The winner will be shared in the Week 3 post!
Last week’s prize was a t-shirt from The Trendy Quilter! To enter, you needed to publicly share an “I’m In” photo on IG. This week’s winner is @summerblossomsandq!
Send me a DM on socials and I’ll get you the details.
Stay tuned for next week: Week 3! Remember to share your progress. I can’t wait to see!
Links:
Let It Shine Quilt Along Week 1