Design-A-Long: Ready, Set, Go!

​You might already be familiar with the term “Quilt-a-Long”.
The “Design-A-Long” is very similar in that we will be making a quilt together, however your quilt will be designed by you! We will work through all the stages together and support each other along the way. For a more interactive experience, follow my Facebook page: Krista's Quilting Services and join the Beginner Quilt Design group on Facebook. 

​Is this Design-A-Long (DAL) for you?

If you have wondered how other people can look at a quilt and then design their own version of it, this DAL is for you. Some people have this wild ability to construct and move all kinds of shapes in their mind as well as “see” their creation from all different angles. It really is a neat super power if you have it, however, a lot of us don’t. One of the tools you will use to help simulate this are paper cut outs that you can physically move around to create different design ideas. Remember to take pictures as you go so you can review your favourite ones later. Often you can see a different perspective from the photo than with your eyes. The camera on your phone is a secret spy glass.

If you have ideas for a quilt, but figuring out how to actually assemble it is a challenge, this DAL is for you. I will talk about ways to break down a block into it’s most basic parts and how to group pieces together to complete that block. There is often more than one option! You can pick the way that makes the most sense to you.

If you struggle with quilt math, this DAL is for you. Once you have your design laid out, I will teach you how to do the quilt math so you can figure out your fabric needs and cutting instructions. There are a couple tricks to make this simpler.

If you have never made a quilt before and want to try, this DAL is for you. I will go through all the quilting basics and you will get to make that first quilt without following someone else’s pattern.

There are some pre-requisites before starting the Design-A-Long:
The Design-A-Long is a machine sewn project. You will need a sewing machine and you will need to know how to operate the machine you are using. Every brand is a little different and while you may be able to get some help with a few things in the group, you do need to have a basic understanding of how yours works. If you are turning on a machine for the first time or if it has been a long time, YouTube will be a great source of info in learning how to work your machine.

You will need to know how to:

• Turn on the machine
• Thread the machine
• Wind a bobbin
• Change your needle
• Adjust your stitch length
• Check and adjust the tension of your stitches

Materials:
I have a materials list available in a PDF download. Take a look through it. Some items you will need right away and others will be purchased, repurposed, or borrowed as you go. There is also a YouTube video that goes with the materials list. I go into greater detail on the video.