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.
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.
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| "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".
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| "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
Linking with:
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I too enjoyed the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I loved reading and I loved my grandmother reading to me!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteMy post is not a finished quilt, just finished blocks - hope that's okay for TGIFF! Your quilt is a beauty, and I'm very interested in the QAL, too. I loved the Little House on the Prairie books - I read them growing up, read them with my kids, and with a lot of 5th graders, too. Do you think a jelly roll would work for these blocks? I have fall-themed one that would be fun to use.
ReplyDeleteMelva your quilt is just beautiful! I love the way all the blocks look together, and your fabrics are perfect, so soft and pretty. I like the way you did your border. I am really looking forward to your SAL!
ReplyDeleteThe books I loved as a child were - in order - Honey Bunch, The Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, and Sue Barton, Student Nurse. After Googling those books, I see that Sue Barton had a "real" author - Helen Dore Boylston. The others were mostly pseudonyms. I discovered books in the 3rd grade when I got to visit our tiny school library for the first time. I read 30 books that summer!
i was read to, but did not read to myself - reading was difficult and i was not interested in the struggle. but i can remember absolutely cherishing the being read to! (little house was a tv show i adored. i wanted to be laura and live in her little cabin!) guess its time to read the books. winnie the pooh books are sweet adult reads. the content seems so different than what a child would take away from the stories
ReplyDeleteCongrats on a very cute finish! Are you going to make another one during the sew along or is one enough?
ReplyDeleteI love The Little House books too. I first read them when I was about 10 or 12 and have returned to them many times during my adult life. Although they are described as children's books I've found a lot more in them as an adult.
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