It’s back!!!
The 2024 Quilters’ Playcation Adventure Sewalong starts next Tuesday, January 9. Weekly, for 49 weeks, I will lead you through a free, live improv quilt block tutorial. Like 2023, this year’s instalment of the Adventure Sewalong has a theme. Rainbows will be our inspiration, our guide, our joy on this playful adventure. Seriously, who doesn’t love a rainbow?!
DETAILS
Tuesday
10 AM Mountain
Starts January 9
Live on Instagram @cheryl_arkison
Saved to You Tube each week
COLOUR SCHEME NOTES
With a rainbow theme the colour scheme seems kind of obvious. That doesn’t mean you have to go with the obvious though. Not all rainbows have to be deeply saturated. Those are gorgeous rainbows, for sure, but you have a lot of other options.
Pastel or low volume in rainbow order
Neutrals
A colour combo you love, not even in rainbow order
A favourite fabric bundle that deserves to be used
Monochromatic in value gradiation
Analogous colours like red, pink, and orange, for example
Use your scraps as they come to you
You will need a background colour as well. It doesn’t necessarily have to be white or black, either. Think about this background as a good complement or highlight to your rainbow.
Solids or prints will both work, you always have that choice. I would simply recommend that you use one or the other, not both. The exception being that your background can work as the opposite, as strong frame for your rainbows.
FABRIC REQUIREMENTS
The total fabric needed will depend, in large part, on your block size. The bigger the block you make, the more fabric you will use. We will take advantage of any scraps as much as possible, so know that you will be maximizing your fabrics.
Start with 1-2 meters/yards of each of your rainbow fabrics. Mix and match, as needed. Same for the background.
If you buy fabric for this sew along, as I did for one of my versions, take note of any fabric colours or names. Save them somewhere you won’t lose them. Then, if necessary, it will be easier to repurchase fabrics.
SIZING
One of the reasons I went with 49 weeks this year is that 49 blocks gives us a nice 7 x 7 quilt block layout if you make square blocks. You don’t need to make all the blocks, but if you do, then this is what you will end up with.
How big you make your blocks is up to you. As you will hear me say many times, you will want to make at least a handful of blocks before you decide on a final size. But if you want to aim for a certain size finished quilt (at some point) then here are some sizing suggestions for you:
6.5” blocks = 42” square quilt
8.5” blocks = 56” square quilt
9.5” blocks = 63” square quilt
10.5” blocks = 70” square quilt
12.5’ blocks = 84” square quilt
Simply use this as a guide. It’s pretty easy to do the math, or even ignore the math, no matter what size you blocks end up being!
Like I always say, come to play without the expectation that your make HAS TO BE SOMETHING. So come, have fun, make a block or not. You are under no obligation to turn what you make into anything.
This is what I am going to play with for version 1 of my own rainbow. I’m already working on a different saturated rainbow quilt so I decided to go pastel. After a survey of my stash I realized that I didn’t have what I wanted on hand so I went shopping. I had a stack of solids in my hands, I did, then I got distracted. First I went to a tone on tone mix. Then my fear of the fabric running out got strong so I changed gears slightly. I picked out all the Grunge options in the store and made myself a pleasing pastel rainbow. Yes, I took my own advice and took note of the colour names just in case I run out. My background is this fun, creamy terrazzo print. I debated a denim, but decided to lean in to the fresh and soft look of the pastels instead.
The second version I am going to make all comes from my stash. My one and only fabric collection - Tag - came out back in 2017. I keep using the fabrics, but when you get a bolt of each, you have to work to use it all! So I decided to make a monochromatic gradiation with the fabrics. The bold, large scale print on top will be the background.
These are going to give me two very different rainbow themed quilts. I am very excited to see where I end up! That’s improv for you: starting without knowing where you are going to end up. So let’s have fun on this year’s Quilters’ Playcation Adventure Sewalong!