John Lennon once said that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. As a teenager I thought the quote so mind-blowing that I wrote it in everybody's yearbook when we graduated from secondary school. Nowadays I'd change it slightly: life is what happens when you are busy looking in other directions. To wit: I have apparently started a quilt-along in 2014 without meaning to do so. Amazing.
Some back-story, first. A close family member of mine announced over the holidays that she is expecting a baby. It was an unexpected announcement but one that was incredibly cheering.My mind immediately went to "what can I make?" - a knitting project was decided upon and some yarn was bought (this happens occasionally).
Then, I found a metre of kids' fabric on sale. The colour was pleasingly gender neutral and it had a lot of happy zoo animals on it. Oooh! Educational and non-nauseatingly cute! I knew the fabric would be perfect for a baby quilt but when I came home, I realised I have only made one quilt in my entire life and I would not have the amazing Bronwen at my side to lend moral support during the making of the quilt.
Bronwen used to run quilting classes at my local craft shop. I went on her beginners' course a few years back and she was the best. She was patient, fun, and incredibly knowledgeable about patchwork and quilting. I knew that if I stood any chance of making a second quilt ( for lo! I have made but one in my entire life), I'd need Bronwen to be there. I am not incompetent nor am I bad at sewing - I just panic easily whenever a rotary cutter is involved!
Thankfully Bronwen is on Twitter, heard my lament and she suggested a casual quilt-along starting this spring. Bronwen wanted to finish a couple of WIPs and would I care to join her? Before I knew what happened about ten or eleven people had joined us.
Would you like to join us too?
#QAlong is mainly going to run on Twitter. Starting March, we'll have a monthly* informal show & tell/chat/support group night on Twitter.(*possibly more often depending on how it goes!)
There is NO set pattern, NO set fabric, NO set timeline (other than it'll really kick off in March), and NO skill level required.
We have experienced people on-board and we have complete beginners (like me) on-board. #QALong is about having fun with no pressure and no rules. You work at your own pace with your own chosen project - but with the added bonus of having a virtual quilting group at your disposal!
Bronwen has agreed to answer a few of my questions here on Fourth Edition. We'll talk fabric choices, how to deal with rotary cutters, and how to choose a pattern that suits your skill level.
There is NO sign-up for #QALong either - that's all part of the whole idea. However, if you do have questions for Bronwen (or anybody else - I can help with colour selection, for instance), do leave a comment and your question will be included in one of the help posts here and we'll also discuss on Twitter.
I am personally a bit daunted by the thought of doing a quilt but I cannot wait to get started.
