more quilt along info

Thanks for all the feedback about my pattern writing questions in the last post. It sounds normal for pattern writers to round up by about 1/4 yard. I find I do the same thing. For the quilt along fabric requirements I already rounded up, so you shouldn't need to. (Unless you want to, of course.)

(I cracked open my fat quarter pack this morning...I can't wait to start cutting and sewing!)

To answer some questions....

How do I join in the quilt along?

That's a good question. I will post the instructions here on my blog, you quilt along. Feel free to show progress shots, as well as your fabric selections in this flickr quilt along group pool and on your blog.

What size are the squares?

2.5" cut. Which means it's a jelly roll, layer cake or charm pack friendly pattern.

If I am using jelly rolls, how many would I need?

1

If I am using layer cakes, how many would I need?

1

How many charm squares would I need?

123 (since charm packs vary in count, I can't calculate the exact amount of charm packs you will need.)

If I am using scraps, how many 2.5" squares will I need?

You will need 490 colored squares. Unless you are cutting scraps, don't cut into your fabric yet, as we will be strip piecing. If you are cutting from scraps, you may want to start now. :)

Does the background need to be plain white?

No, but I would recommend a tone on tone fabric or something extremely subtle.

What fabric are you using for your background?

I'm going to use white Kona cotton.

Thoughts on fabric selection...

Take note of the value (light, medium, dark) of your fabrics. If you use lighter fabrics, you will have a softer, more subtle quilt. If you are using brighter/darker fabrics, the pattern will have more definition and will be bolder. If you are using pre-cuts, try to choose the darks and mediums from the line. Or choose only the lights. If you mix in the light fabrics with the mediums and darks, you are going to lose the pattern definition in your quilt. Most pre-cut fabrics have a mix of values since it's a representation of the entire fabric line. So, to get around that, you could buy more than the required amount to work around the values or substitute in some coordinating fabrics. Scrappy is always good, right? Just something to think about as you are planning your quilt.

I plan to start next Monday, June 7th.

I'm glad that so many of you will be quilting along with me!