Announcing!! Little House Sew Along & TGIFF Linky Party

It is with great pleasure that I announce the start of a new Melva Loves Scraps Original Sew Along!  This is a sew along that I have been considering and pondering and developing for over a year.  You may have seen some of the development and creation along the way... I hope that it was enough to gain your attention and interest in participating.

I am also hostess of this week's Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.  This Little House Quilt that I have named Laura is my featured finish.  She measures approximately 57-inches square (after quilting and shrinking just a bit after being laundered).  I used Hobbs Heirloom Fusible batting that is 80% cotton which naturally shrinks 3% after washing to create a well-loved, soft, wrinkly look that many vintage quilts have after years of love and use.

There are only 9 blocks - the center of each block is 6-inches, surrounded by a log cabin frame that brings the finished block to a 16-inch square block, published every two weeks.  The series will begin with the first pattern published next week, February 5th and be finished by June... just before any busy summer-school's out-gardening season plans.  The full schedule is listed below.

"Laura"

The Little House books have been a favorite of mine since I started reading.  I remember getting one of those book order flyers in 3rd grade and seeing that they had the entire set available.  I don't remember the cost of the set, but I do remember that I was very excited when my Mom & Dad said "yes" to my request to buy it.

All these years later, I still have the complete set.  As an adult, I have collected a few more related books.  I'll not be sharing excerpts of the stories as I did in the Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail series because of copyright limitations.  If you have never read the books, I encourage you to do so.  Laura Ingalls Wilder paints magnificent pictures with her words as she describes the settings and events.

I used an RBD fat quarter bundle - A Walk on the Prairie - acquired from Modern Prairie for my "sample" quilt (shown above).  It included dusty pinks and greens.  Modern Prairie currently has a FQ bundle called an Evening on the Prairie.  I am using the Butterfly Sonata bundle from Connecting Threads for a second quilt that will be used to photograph the various steps of each block.  (bundle shown here)  If you are interested in purchasing this bundle or anything else from Connecting Threads, you can use the code ACTMelvaLovesScraps for a 15% discount. (Some restrictions do apply.)

I used assorted light/neutral stash and scrappy strips for the backgrounds of the blocks and the neutral side of the log cabins.  I would imagine that a jelly roll of neutrals would be sufficient for the log cabins and most of the blocks.  However, some of the blocks will need units larger than 2-1/2".

"Caroline"

You may recognize most of the blocks in this LH sampler quilt... Most come from previous sew along events... the difference being is that I have resized them.  With each block I will walk you through the steps of the "quilter's math" used to resize them.  Don't be intimidated!  Though, if you are truly not interested in doing the math, I'll never know you skipped that part. ;)  All of the cutting and assembly instructions will be included in the patterns.

Here's the schedule:

February 5 - Maple Leaf

February 19 - Native Star

March 5 - Harvest Basket

March 19 - Shoo Fly

April 2 - Rail Fence

April 16 - Snowflake

April 30 - Kit in the Korner

May 7 - Pieces of My Heart

May 21 - Prairie Rose

June 4 - Assembly & Finish

To summarize the details:

Starting date - February 5

Frequency of block patterns - every 2 weeks

Length of sew along - 4 months - final instructions given June 4

Skill level - beginner to intermediate, skill level gradually increasing

Time required - That is difficult to say, but probably less than 2 hours for each block

Fabric required - 1 FQ bundle is enough for the main blocks and contrasting color strips of the log cabin frame.  You will need 2 yards of assorted neutrals - a jelly roll of neutrals work perfectly for the log cabin strips, plus 1/2 yard for the final border.  3-1/2 to 4 yards for backing.  Leftover FQ fabrics were used for the scrappy binding.  

Finished size - approximately 60" square

A linky party for sharing your finished 16" blocks will be available... and I will have some prizes.  (I plan to use some of my Connecting Threads credits earned as one of their ambassadors to purchase the prizes. Let me know if you have a suggestion of what you might like other than fabrics.)  The final link up will be for finished tops.  Maybe a bonus entry if you get it quilted. ;)

Thanks for visiting MLS and TGIFF.  If you have a finished quilt top or quilt that you would like to show off to everyone via the linky party, feel free!  I understand that there are various stages of "finished" and will simply state that if you have finished it... Join the fun!

I do hope that you'll consider joining the Little House Sew Along!  

Leave a comment to let me know ;)

And... before you go... 

Who was/is one of your favorite childhood authors?

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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