SoChick QAL {Anchors Aweigh: Completed Top & Craftsy.com Giveaway!}

Finally, the last post of the 1st Annual SoChick Quilt Along, featuring Anchors Aweigh by Tula Pink!  I can not thank you all enough for not only joining me in my first QAL, but for being patient with me as this QAL collided with my family relocating from Coastal NC to the Mountains of Western NC (with a few bumps and a dead computer hard-drive in between)!

{Joining Rows to Complete Your Top}

If you haven't had a chance to join your rows, I hope that these few iPhone pictures will give you an idea of how I did it.  It's important to note, when joining the rows, that you do not need space large enough for the entire quilt top to be laid out... a narrow, flat surface, should suffice.  I was able to piece my entire top behind my living room sofa, where I had enough room width-wise (from quilt side to side) and about 3-4ft of space for adding rows.

 When joining the rows, and because I was working in a narrow space, I joined them in pairs of two, working in towards the middle of the quilt, then attached in the middle.  (So I joined Rows 1&2, 3&4, 5&6, 7&8; then joined the pairs so that Rows 1-4 and Rows 5-8 were my final sections, finishing by joining at Row 4 & 5)  I hope that makes sense.  Because I was working in a narrow space, as I joined rows I simply rolled the quilt as I went.  You can see in the photo below that the Wrong Side is where I've rolled up and the Right Side is where I will add the next set of Rows.

When joining the rows, I roughly laid them out with right sides together; then, starting from the middle of the rows, lined up and pinned my seams moving out towards the sides. When pinning the solid fabrics, be careful not to stretch the fabrics so as not to distort the quilt top.  There is less stretching at the piecing due to the seams reinforcing the fabrics, but it's easy to get carried away with stretching/smoothing once you get to the solid fabric... so just keep that in mind *wink*.

I also pressed/starched my long seams as I sewed them; once I was finished with the top, I went through with a good steam  press over the entire piece.  I am so impressed with this quilt and the fact that I was able to complete it with everything else going on!  I feel like it was easy to sew, it was just a matter of staying organized throughout the process.

I plan to quilt this on my home sewing machine, hopefully while we are here in our temporary apartment.  I've learned a lot from the Craftsy Lesson: Quilting Large Projects on a Small Machine... so I will put that knowledge to the test.  Are you ready for your chance to Win this same lesson, for FREE?!

{The Giveaway}

{The Prize}

Craftsy.com has been so super generous to sponsor my 1st Annual SoChick Quilt Along by offering a Free Lesson to one lucky winner! (A $39.99 value!)  What's better, is that the lesson, Quilting Large Projects on a Small Machine, will help you complete your Anchors Aweigh quilt, and you can watch the lesson as many times as you want, whenever you want, and at your own pace!

{The Details}
Because of my delay in finishing this QAL, due to moving, etc, I am opening the giveaway to all participants of the SoChick QAL... however, your chances of winning will be greater if you have completed your Anchors Aweigh top and share a photo of it!

How to enter:

There are THREE ways you may enter, AND you may complete all three!

You MUST log your entry into the Rafflecopter widget to be entered into this Giveaway.

1-  leave a comment on this blog post telling me about your Anchors Aweigh experience, thoughts, what you enjoyed most, etc. (log the entry into the Rafflecopter widget)

2- share a photo of your completed Anchors Aweigh Quilt Top by submitting a link to your photo from flickr, Instagram, or another photo sharing app. (log the entry into the Rafflecopter widget)

3- Join Craftsy.com (yay if you're already a member) and add your Anchors Aweigh Quilt top to your Projects Page; then share your username here so that I can check out your project and photos! (log the entry into the Rafflecopter widget)

The Giveaway will end on April 11, 2013, at 12:00am EST.  I will announce a winner here on the blog by April 13th.  If the winner can not be reached within 48hrs, I will re-draw for a runner up... Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


{Thanks Bunches}
A huge special thanks to all of the participants of my 1st Annual SoChick QAL, I have enjoyed chatting with you and sewing with you throughout, I can't wait to see your EPIC Quilts!  Also, thank you to Tula Pink for designing awesome-sauce fabric and kick-butt quilt patterns like Salt Water and Anchors Aweigh; and to Craftsy.com for not only being a great site to find sewing patterns, supplies and a wealth of knowledge and lessons for us crafty-folk, but for also Sponsoring my 1st Annual SoChick QAL with a great lesson!

XxOo~ Melissa

SoChick QAL {Anchors Aweigh: Week 4, Row 6 & 7}

***As I was editing this post, my computer crashed and I have lost all of my photos and documents for the QAL and more.  I am sharing what I have for Row 6 as it was written.  At the bottom of the post, I have included notes for Row 7, including pattern corrections.***


Welcome to week 4 of the SoChick Quilt Along featuring the Anchors Aweigh Quilt Pattern, and Salt Water fabrics, by Tula Pink.  We are almost finished with the rows for this quilt top... eeek! How exciting!

Here's some quick links to previous posts for this QAL, if you are just joining in:

Original QAL Post

Cut & Prep

Week 1: Rows 1 & 8

Week 2: Rows 2 & 3 *I have noted a pattern correction in this post*

Week 3: Rows 4 & 5

At the end of the QAL you'll be able to enter to WIN a Free Craftsy.com class for Quilting your large quilt... and this is a large quilt, on your home machine!  To enter, you just need to share a photo of your finished quilt top... more details to come on the giveaway as the QAL draws to a close.

Thank you to Craftsy for generously sponsoring the SoChick QAL! This lesson is valued at $39.99 and is full of very useful information, plus it's yours to keep and watch whenever; over and over again!  Stop by Craftsy.com to check out the Indie Pattern Shops (like, mine) as well as great deals on supplies, tips, their blog is great, too... I totally think you should join in the Craftsy fun!  P.S.- You can catch some lectures from QuiltCon 2013 for free, too!

* * *
And here we go... Week 4:
 I fully intended to have both Row 6 and 7 in this post, but these last two rows incorporate a bit more piecing and so to save on a huge-o-long post, I've decided to give each row their own post... aww. *wink*  No worries, though, if you finish this one soon, I won't make you wait another week for Row 7! *Keep reading for Row 7 details, thanks to my computer crash, gah!*

Anchors Aweigh, Row 6
Before you cut, you will need to make the following corrections to the pattern:

Row 6 Cutting Corrections

And, of course, I've laid out all of my pieces and pulled all of my square prints that I will need for this row.  I promise you, that even if I weren't photographing for the QAL, I'd still lay all of my pieces out... it's sew helpful to ensure you're staring with everything you'll need... less time spent looking around for supplies = more time sewing!


I started with the smaller sections and worked my way into the center of the row.  The first two stitched were Row 6 Sections 2 and 8. (R6S2, R6S8).  I didn't chain piece for these sections.  Be careful to use a consistent 1/4 in seam allowance.  Press all seams open and nest your seams as you stitch the strips within the section together.  Start by piecing the top of the section, then attach to the bottom solid piece; press seams open.

Starch and press, starch and press...

Next, I worked on R6S3 and R6S7, these are where I discovered the cutting error in the pattern, so if you've made the corrections, you shouldn't have a problem.... if not, well, this part may take you as long as it took me. *wink*

I noted the measurements of the solid pieces, as they are cut, to show where the corrections go, etc... quite a bit of ripping went into these sections, mostly S3, as you can tell by all of the threads and the kinked seam on the far left... be sure to trim any threads off of your sections as you finish with them.  I did, after I took the photo...

Row 6 Section 5 I was able to chain-piece as I did in the last QAL post.  I completely forgot to photograph this Section, but it was the quickest stitching of Row 6, for me.

The final sections, Section 4 and 6, are different from Sections throughout the quilt in that they are almost broken down into sub-sections, which are then attached to a larger solid piece to complete the Section.  I hope that made some kind of sense, with the major use of the word "sections".

Row 6 Section 4, Anchors Aweigh

This is the lower part of  Row 6 Section 4, where I've sewn the "sub-sections" together.  Next, I attached the solids to their corresponding pieces, then attached all of the "sub-sections" to complete the lower half of R6S4.

Lower portion of R6S4

Once the lower half is complete, the larger solid fabric can be attached.  If you are using a 1/4in seam allowance, your solid piece should line up exactly with your lower section.  However, if you notice the ends of the solid extend slightly beyond, or end slightly short, of your pieced section, you should be okay, the difference will be absorbed in the 1/4in seam allowance when you join all of the sections in the row.

*** This is where my computer dies, along with all of my photos, so I apologize for not having any pictures of the last Rows, and their completed sections.

After stitching Row 6 Section 4, I moved on to Section 6.  I made sure to give each of these sections individual attention (instead of sewing them at the same time as I did with the others).  The "sub-sections" can get a little tricky. 

I pieced Row 6 according to the pattern, again, I did not trim anything down. So far, any slight variations in length/width of the sections' edges has been absorbed in the 1/4in seam allowance when sewing the sections together.  Basically, when sewing the sections and rows together, I have tried to keep everything within the 12 1/2 in length of the finished row... so if a section is slightly smaller, due to my piecing/seams, I just center them best I can, pin and stitch to the next section.  So far, none of the variations have been large enough to warrant ripping stitches or caused any fabric to be missed in the 1/4 in seam.  I'll stop rambling about that now. If you have a question about this, just ask in the comments, I'll do my best to answer/explain. *wink*

On to Row 7:

*Before cutting, make the following corrections to the pattern:

-You will be cutting fabric J and not K, as written in the pattern.

Cut your solid fabric (fabric J) and lay them out; pull out all of the squares as called for in the pattern.

Row 7, Section 3:

  For this section, I sewed the bottom pieces (K, E, C, I, K) together, then chain pieced the top portion.  Once I completed the chain piecing of top portion and joined those, I joined the bottom piece to that.  Press all seams open, trim all threads. Starch and press, starch and press.

Row 7 Sections 2 & 4:

Much like Row 6's Sections 4 & 6, these sections are made up of "sub-sections" which are attached to a larger solid piece to finish them; I worked these two independently as well.

Once these sections are completed, press and starch them, then attach them to complete the final row of your Anchors Aweigh Quilt top!   Yay!!!!

I realize that these Rows, while fairly simple, are a bit time consuming; I will do my best to explain how to attach your Rows in the next post.  I am also going to move the Giveaway for the Free Craftsy Lesson in to April.  I think this will allow time for everyone to complete their Anchors Aweigh Quilt tops, which gives everyone a shot at the Giveaway Prize! Thanks for bearing with me as I deal with my computer issue and moving!  

XxOo~ Melissa

SoChick Quilt Along {Anchors Aweigh: Week 3}

Welcome to week 3 of the SoChick Quilt Along featuring the Anchors Aweigh Quilt Pattern, and Salt Water fabrics, by Tula Pink!

We are crossing the half-way mark this week with Rows 4 & 5 of the Anchors Aweigh Quilt.  If you are laying your pieces out together, or if you're joining them as we go, your quilt top is starting to look pretty Awesome!

Here's some quick links to previous posts for this QAL, if you need to catch up:

Original QAL Post

Cut & Prep

Week 1: Rows 1 & 8

Week 2: Rows 2 & 3

At the end of the QAL you'll be able to enter a photo, or link to a photo, of your completed top for a chance to WIN a Free Craftsy.com class for Quilting your large quilt... and this is a large quilt, on your home machine!

Thank you to Craftsy for generousrly sponsoring the SoChick QAL! This lesson is valued at $39.99 and is full of very useful information, plus it's yours to keep and watch whenever; over and over again!  Stop by Craftsy.com to check out all of the awesomeness going on over there.

* * *
{Week 3: Row 4 & Row 5}

We are going to put our rows together in reverse order today because I have started using the method of "Chain Piecing" when sewing all of these little squares together when there are sections full of them.  As a reminder, I'll refer to the Row and then the Section within the Row as shown in the Anchors Aweigh Quilt Pattern.(ex: Row 5 Section 2 (R5S2).)

Row 5:
Lay out your pieces.

Now, with Row 5 Section 2, (R5S2) we are going to start chain piecing our squares.  Chain piecing is a time-saving technique used in quilting where you sew fabric pieces together in a continuous chain or loop.  It's especially helpful with the little squares we're working with and I noticed that it makes handling them much easier as well as they are all kept together, literally.

R5S2, we will only chain piece the squares in the lower part of this section, and again in Section 8.  I pieced the solids and top four squares as I normally would. (not shown in this pic, but you'll see in the next, *wink*)

Following the arrows, you'll place the squares on top of each other right sides together, making two rows of square pairs (photo 2 below).  Then, you will stitch, using your 1/4 in seam allowance, on the right side of the squares, as indicated by the arrows in photo 2; continuing down each row.  Once you stitch one pair of squares, without lifting your presser foot and without trimming your thread, you'll place the next pair under to be stitched and so on.  All of the squares will be connected by a "chain" of fabric. 

You'll finger-press the seams open on the square pairs and repeat the process with the pairs, joining them at the center seam (photo 4, above) being careful not to twist your chain as you go (pinning can be helpful for the first run-through).  Next, without trimming the chain stitches, you'll attach all of these little rows together as we did in previous rows by nesting the seams.  The good news is, with all of the rows attached by the chain stitches, lining up the seams and stitching is a piece of cake!

Once all of the little rows are stitched together, trim the chain stitches and press all of these seams open before joining the bottom of this section to the top. 

Trim chain stitches before pressing seams open.

Complete Row 7, then continue chain-piecing with Row 5 Section 5 and you'll find how quickly these sections go together using this time-saving technique.

Once you've completed R5 Sections 2, 8, and 5, Sections 3 and 7 stitch up quickly.  When sewing with your solids, be careful not to pull at the solid fabrics as this will distort the seam.  This is especially important to remember when piecing the row together.

Row 5 Sections 3 & 7

You'll notice that my sections are a little wonky, before stitching them together I am sure to starch and press them all, even the solids.  I then stitch together the pieced sections, 2 & 3 and 7 & 8, next I joined 4, 5, and 6. I joined these pairings and added the final outside solids 1 & 9.  I find that this method allows be to best line up my pieces as straight as possible by checking against a solid fabric edge... as they aren't wonky like my pieced sections.  I have not cut down any of my pieced sections... any wonky-ness is absorbed in my 1/4 in seam allowance... so far. 

Row 4:
Again, lay out the pieces... and keep that pattern handy!

Now that you've got chain piecing figured out, this row will go together quickly.  You'll use the chain piecing method for all of Row 4 Section 4.  Below is a photo of attaching your chain pieced rows together, nesting seams, etc... and what it looks like with everything attached.

Chain piecing makes the next step, of nesting seams and stitching the little rows together, move quickly.

Once you finish R4S4, the next two sections, 2 & 6, go together quickly, too!  

Stitch all of your sections together and do a happy dance that you are more than half-way through Tula Pink's Anchors Aweigh Quilt top!

We have two more rows to go, then we'll join them and be ready to share our completed tops...  Woo Hoo!  It is SO exciting to see this come together and I'm thrilled to be sewing it with you!  Remember to share photos of your progress in the SoChick QAL Flickr group, or on Instagram with the hashtag #SoChickQAL.

See you next week!

Psst... if you have a blog or website, please grab a button (copy and paste the code from the right sidebar) to share the fun with everyone and let them know what you've been stitching.

XxOo~ Melissa 

SoChick Quilt Along {Anchors Away: Week 2}

Welcome to Week 2 of the SoChick 1st Annual QAL!

If you're just joining in, be sure to visit the following posts to get up to speed:

Original QAL Post

Cut & Prep

Week 1: Rows 1 & 8

Don't forget to share your photos on Instagram (use hashtag #SoChickQAL) or in the SoChickQAL Group on Flickr.  Thanks to the gals who have already shared photos of their progress, Sheri and Rio, I hope more of you will share, I love seeing your work! Also, at the end of the QAL you can upload a photo of your completed Anchors Aweigh quilt top into the linky party (which will be in the final post) for a chance to win a Free Craftsy Lesson!  Thanks to Craftsy for sponsoring the SoChick QAL.

* * *

Week 2 {Anchors Aweigh Row 2 & Row 3}

I'm sure you know from the previous posts that I'm stressing organization for this QAL.  Only because it really will make it much smoother going if everything is organized, labeled, laid out, etc.

For this QAL I've laid out my sewing space to include my cutting mat (where I am cutting my solids and laying out the pieces to each row), Tula Pink's Anchors Aweigh quilt pattern, my sewing machine (of course *wink*) and my ironing board/iron/spray starch.\

Row 2

Start by cutting your solid prints:  I cut the two sections that are 12.5in in length from the yardage, then the smaller pieces from the leftovers I saved from Row 1.  Then, pull all of the squares needed for Row 2 from their baggies; lay it all out.

Here is the layout for Row 2 from Tula's Anchors Aweigh Pattern:

Anchors Aweigh Row 2

From here on out I will refer to the Row (R) and Section (S) that we are working on.  (i.e., set the solids from R2S1 and R2S5 to the side for now).

We are going to start sewing Row 2 Section 2 (R2S2).  Looking at the pattern, I laid out the section on my work surface.

Next, we will sew the pieces together end-to-end, working from top to bottom, to create four columns of squares.  Once all of the columns are sewn, press all of the seams open.

**Continue to use the same 1/4in seam allowance as previous rows!

To complete this section, you will place two columns on top of each other (referring to the pattern for placement), right sides together, being sure to line up the seams, and stitch.  Nesting the seams is a great way to do this: basically you will line the seams (which have been pressed open) on top of each other; lightly roll them between your fingertips to butt the two seams together... place a pin through the aligned seams, then stitch (watch that your seams are staying open as you stitch through them).  You can remove the pin right before stitching through the seam to ensure the seams stay aligned. 

"Roll" the seams with your fingertips to get them to "Nest"

Repeat this process with the two halves of R2S2 and press all seams open.  You will repeat this entire process for R2R4 also. 

R2S3 is assembled by joining the squares across, then aligning the rows to stitch.  When you lay out your pieces for S2R3, you will notice that the square prints extend beyond the solid piece, this is okay, the solid is cut to account for the seam allowance.  Once stitched,  the row of squares will match up with the solid piece.  Remember, press all seams open here, too.

Once the pieced sections (S2, S3, and S4) of Row 2 are completed, it's time to join them.

R2S2 will join to R2S3 by placing right side down on S3, nesting seams, and sewing.  Press this seam open and repeat on the opposite side of S3, with S4.  Refer to the Anchors Aweigh Quilt Pattern to ensure your sections and placement are correct.  Once completed, press all seams open and complete Row 2 by joining Sections 1 & 2 and Sections 4 & 5.

Pieced center of Row 2

Yay! Row 2 is complete, now it's time to tackle Row 3 with more piecing and more sections...

Row 3 is broken down into Nine sections.  Begin by cutting your solid pieces and laying out all of the square prints needed for this Row.

*Pattern Correction* Fabric "K" is not used in Row 3 Section 4, this is an error in the pattern... Fabric "K" is not used at all in Row 3.

Piecing Sections 2 and 8 is similar to R2S3...

Sew squares across in rows, then nest seams and connect the rows... pressing all seams open.

Repeat with Sections 3 and 7.

When you get to Sections 4 and 6, you can save time by finger pressing the seams open.  I saved the finger pressing method for sections with fewer seams because I can move quickly through them.  Finger pressed seams don't tend to have staying power, so I don't recommend the method when working with several seams.

Finally, piece R3S5 stitching squares across into rows, then nesting seams and joining the rows...

Note: As you sew, keep checking to ensure that you are stitching all of your seams open... open seams will reduce bulk in your quilt top.

Trim any long threads as you go... this saves time at the end, too.

Finally, sew all of the Row 3 sections together, checking the pattern layout to ensure the Sections are in order. 

I thought it'd be neat to see the real-life version next to the pattern image:

Once all of your sections are sewn together, press those seams open and starch!  You've completed Row 2 and Row 3 of Tula Pink's Anchors Aweigh Quilt!  

Isn't it a blast seeing the Rows come together!?  

Share your progress, chat with me on Twitter, Instagram or Flickr, and if you have a question, I'm here to help!

Happy Sewing!

XxOo~ Melissa