Progress Review: Across the Sea QAL

How are you all doing with your quilt tops? Are you done yet?

These are the last few days for finishing up your top, as we will move on to cutting and assembling the back next week. I just can't wait!!

Have you been contributing over in the Flickr group? Its really great seeing the different interpretations people have of the design....so many different perspectives, I already want to make another quilt using different fabrics and giving it a totally different look!

Here are some of my faves from the Flickr group. I just couldn't fit them all in but if you're interested, pop over and have a browse through!!

 

So, see you Monday when we'll start on the back!!

Still thinking about joining us?

So, have you started your cutting for the Across the Sea QAL? I hope its going well! I'm really excited to see how your blocks start to shape up next week when we start piecing.

There are some really great fabric choices appearing in the Flickr group where we have 78 members - wow! I am totally thrilled at how many people have signed up to join us in making this lovely quilt. If you are still wondering whether or not to join us - please do!

Want to see some of the fabric choices? Here are a few of my faves:

There's such a variety of colours and themes showing up and I LOVE how there are quite a few people making Christmas quilts with this pattern - I think they will be amazing. So, if you've joined up, don't forget to post your fabric choices, and if you're still thinking about it, come join the fun!

Don't forget that if you take part, and link up a picture of your finished quilt by the end of the day, Monday 3rd October, you're in with a chance to win one of the 2 prizes of the $20 gift certificates to our lovely QAL sponsors Sew Fresh Fabrics - they have fabulous fabrics over there, so do check them out! Remember they have also kindly offered to discount the shipping costs for fabric bought for the QAL with free domestic/ half off International Shipping on orders totaling $35.00 or more. Just enter the code FAIRYLANE in Notes to Seller upon checkout and they will refund the shipping via paypal upon shipment.

The original post with all the fabric requirements is here and the QAL schedule is here.

So, happy cutting and I'll be looking forward to seeing your blocks start to appear next week!

Calling all Irish quilters & sewers.....

I think that its great, but kind of sad in a way, that I discovered several Irish sewing blogs I didn't know about through the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway. I've done lots of searches for Irish blogs but it can be hard to find them in search results. Plus, I have been watching the Brit Quilt Flickr group taking off and thought, really, its time for us to have one too!

I'm also conscious that not everyone who quilts, or sews has a blog of their own, and if you're not blogging yourself it can be hard commenting and interacting. I thought it would be really great if we could get a little Irish sewing and quilting community going on Flickr where people could share photos of stuff they're working on, or have finished, where we could have discussions on sewing related stuff- like where to find supplies etc etc, and - even better - organise fabric swaps and more.

What do you think? Interested?

If you haven't used Flickr before, you should definitely check it out. I have really only become active on it since Christmas - at Fi's suggestion - and I love it, there are lots of fun things going on including swaps, e.g. the scrappy pincushion swap. It doesn't require the same amount of time commitment that blogging does and its a little more instant in some ways. You upload your photos and then contribute them to groups you are taking part in, and within the groups there are discussion threads etc. Check out http://www.flickr.com/groups/britquilt/ to see what I mean.

So, please, if you are interested (and I hope you are!) no matter how much, or how little you know about sewing or quilting, whether you're super-experienced or just starting out - please come over to www.flickr.com, set up an account (its free!) and join the Sew Irish group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/sewirish/and lets get a little community going.

If you need help getting to grips with Flickr drop me an email to fairyfacedesigns@gmail.com and I'll do my best to help you out.