Wednesday 25 January 2012

Hands up who's surprised...



Welcome to part one of the Staind Quilt Along!

Quilt details and Fabric Requirements

a little later than intended, but I did promise a very slow and completely relaxed attitude to scheduling, didn't I?

This QAL is because people encouraged me to make another of these, so I figured you could too..



but I didn't keep the plans and workings I did for it, and it turned out a whole lot bigger than I'd intended it to, so I've had another go at the design and we'll be working from this.


I used EQ7 for this, so if any details are wrong, its the programs fault not mine ;-)
Overall quilt size here is 44.5" x 55.5"  so will very neatly fill a crib size (45 x 60") batting, and if you're really lucky you might manage to squeeze it onto a whole piece back too - I like simple!  The crib batting I usually get is almost always  a few inches bigger than 45 x 60 when you lay it out and get all the creases out...  but I do realise you're meant to have the batting a couple of inches bigger all round, and the backing even bigger.  Oops!  Smack the back of my hands with a ruler if you like.

Block size is 11" square  (10.5" sq finished)  and there are 3 double blocks at 22x11"  (21.5x10.5" finished). You are welcome to split the double if you'd prefer to keep all blocks the same size, I just wanted to throw it in to blur the grid look a little.  The sashing around the blocks and within the blocks themselves is all 1/2" finished.

Now for the important bit....  to shop or not to shop...  Well I shopped, naturally.  (It was LAST year so it doesn't count.... )  However, despite the fact that it was sent on 30th December, its still not here yet.  (no doubt customs are having a good nosey at it...) Which is kinda why this post is late too.  I had wanted to have all my bits cut before I gave out any kind of fabric requirements.  EQ7 is rather generous in its fabric allowance normally, so keep that in mind.

This should take 2 yards of a solid.  Carefully cut that should be enough to include a binding if you so desire.   EQ7 is saying 2 1/2 yards of print.  However when I try to fill in all the pieces with 10 different prints, its coming up with 1/2 yard required of each!!  See what I mean?  I can tell you for sure that I made the first Stained quilt starting with 11  x  1/2 yard prints and I ended up with almost 11 FQs left over.  So, I am going to say that if you cut carefully, 10 -12 FQ's should be plenty.  If you are thinking Layer cake, that might work okay, but you might want to bulk it up with a FQ or two to accommodate the 11" patches.

With any luck I'll get my fabric in a day or so and rest assured I'll be choppin into it right away and I'll post exactly what it took as soon as I've done it...  So, you'll have a definitive Fabric Requirement before I tell you to start cutting, I promise.  Since I am having to consider making it with some FQ's and less than FQ's I'm being extremely particular and working out exactly which fabric to put in which patch, and then a cutting guide for every FQ print...  So my question is, would you like me to have these available for you to look at, and follow if you desire?  Or shall I just leave all the "cut what from where" up to you?!   I'm doing all these fussy OCD workings for myself, I can easy put them into a google doc for you to check out too.

This quilt, it doesn't come across as a simple or easy quilt to make.  There's no joyously simple "take one layer cake square and cut it in half"...  But I swear once the bits are cut, and you do one style of block at a time and have the bits laid out in block layout, you'll soon find them coming together really quickly and the piecing is easy really.  I'm just not all that good at finding an easy and simple way to explain it.

Just keep reminding yourself that I managed it...  so anyone can ;-)

39 comments:

  1. Oh you make that final statement like you are not one talented young woman...well I have seen your work and that statement does not make me any better.

    OK now to answer your question. I am going to be pulling some fabrics from a line I won so I won't need to know any details this time around.

    This time around...I will follow you where ever you lead...can we go slow (I might be a virgin) hehehehe.

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  2. I'll just do what you tell me, when you tell me.

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  3. Looks great! Always best to have more info than you need! I'll do as I'm told too! Jxo

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  4. We shall all follow and make beautiful quilts in your safe hands Sarah!

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  5. You just carry on. I'll attempt to keep up. That'll be me & Rhonda at the back then :-)

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  6. Yey :) I am very excited for my first QAL, and I'm glad you're going to be going slowly as I have so many WIPs at the moment! I am hoping to stash-bust mostly, so it's great we can get away with FQs. If you don't mind, I would find it really useful if you went through what you cut from which print...I'm bound to make a mess of it otherwise! Also, where do you normally buy your batting from?

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  7. PS
    Scuse me.......sorry to be a pain in the arse Teach but may I point out your QAL button doesn't work. Nope. But luckily Hadders does. So thats ok. Sitting down & shutting up now :-)

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  8. I'll join the group at the back, but I'm very excited! I might have to cut carefully so extra tips welcome - just couldn't justify ordering a bit more of my chosen fabrics!

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  9. Eek! I'll have to dig out my fabric and work out how big I can make the quilt (I'm planning to make as big a quilt as possible to use up left overs!). Can't wait!! Oh, and you're such a good QAL leader - very thorough and lovely with it!!

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  10. Wow, well done for organising this...seems like a huge project, but I'm sure people will be grateful for your expert guidance ;o) I'm not sewing along, but I'll be watching closely as I would love to tackle quilting at some point in time!

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  11. Awesome! I am so ready to find a bit of fabric and jump in here. This is going to be great!

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  12. Yes Miss. Right away Miss. 3 bags full Miss!

    I've sorted out a bundle of scrappy stash and am awaiting further instructions :-)

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  13. I don't know if I can join in straight away, I need to clear some other things out of the way but will keep an eye and jump in later if I get sorted.

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  14. Gimme the full details - please!!!
    Can't wait x

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  15. Looks lovely! I can only imagine what this will look like with some obnoxiously bright colors! I may have to join up on this one.

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  16. YAY!!!! My DS Picnics bundle awaits patiently, I just need to decide on a solid......dark red? Navy? Hmmm...

    Full cutting deets for me would be awesome. I may do my own thing anyway but then I can blame me for cocking it up!! Excited, my friend, excited A LOT!!

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  17. *thud*... j/k ;o) I can skip the intimate deets on the cutting as I shall, perversely, be using a layer cake :oD

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  18. Hmm... I'll need to go over what I was planning to use and possibly make some more purchases. Either that or choose different fabrics altogether. Choices, choices! I'm so glad you're going slow with this and I have time to figure things out without falling too far behind!

    Love the double squares addition in this iteration of your quilt design!

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  19. Oooh liking the look of this...

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  20. Oh heck, I'd better get thinking about which fabrics I'm gonna use ...I'll be in making it up as I go along/depending on how much I've got of each print mode, so don't worry about exact cutting lists for each fabric! x

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  21. You are so so clever - and this is just my kind of quilt. I love the bold and clean look it has. Just wish I could join in too......maybe a year or so down the line I can come back to it! Hope Mr Nosey Customs person lets you get your fabric soon. Juliex

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  22. oooh, looking forward to this. You know you need a flikr group too.....!!

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  23. Better get busy stash shopping - might come a cropper on the sashing - wish me luck!

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  24. Looks fab Sarah, I can't wait! I would love to have any extra info you have if its easy for you to put in a doc. Also - the biggest patches are 11" x what? Just want to check, I have a FE bundle, so 11" is fine in one direction but not squared, so if I need to order a FQ or 2 I will do that tonight :-) And I love the relaxed approach ;-)

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  25. i really want to play along sarah! i might be a bit behind though... i am already behind on everything!

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  26. The more detail the better, please. And I have to say that as much as I like the original quilt (enough to put it at the top of my list), I like your revised version even better. Thank you

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  27. Jeez - I have no idea what I'm going to do with this one yet! I'm not too sure about detailed cutting instructions. I tend to switch off if there's too much information, and then there's tears! I think I may have to do just a bit of shopping!
    Looking forward to getting started though. Well done, babes!

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  28. Gosh Sarah, you've been working harsMd! I'll be approximately following, as I want to make mine bigger, and some of my prints have designs that I want to fully cut but as still quite big, so I may keep some big blocks, I do like the double blocks you have added

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    1. Grrrr, blinking auto correct, *hard* and *fussy cut*!!!!

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  29. Your quilt is beautiful. I hope it isn't too late to join in the fun. Joanne H

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  30. I have a stack of fabric at the ready, a friend to gift the quilt to when it's done and an eager rotary cutter ready for action!! whoop whoop!!!

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  31. I'll just watch...and hopefully it'll not go in one ear/eye and out the other! I'll be brave next time! ;)

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  32. Im liking the slow pace here, I want to stain along but have so much on right now!

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  33. I love the double size blocks and how they work in your design! I have my 2 yards and then some of solids all ready but I am still not sure what I will do for the rest. Scraps or one line of fabric or one colour, there are options in my stash for sure. So details would likely be helpful if you are working them out anyway. Thanks.

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  34. I love the design and although as you know I won't be joining this time, I'm going to follow the progress :)

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  35. I hope it's not too late to join in - I'm a bit addicted to quilt-alongs and I love your original quilt, so I give in, but I have to finish something (anything) first.... deal?

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  36. I know this is REALLY late, but I've been seeing so many gorgeous versions of these around, I am joining in, if you'll have me! Better late than never? I'm a new follower too :o)

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  37. Hi

    Could you please let me know if medicines like Provigil help? ? Or should I tried something else for sleepiness?

    Thanks

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    1. I really cant advise on meds, every narcoleptic experiences a different combination of symptoms and to different degrees.

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