Welcome to the thirteenth and final block reveal

for the Sew Let’s QAL!

This QAL is brought to you by Partners in Design: Where Friends and Fabric Meet.

Presenting: Who’s Got the Thimble?

This 12.5″ unfinished block pattern was created by April Adams of JANDA Bend Quilts. You can download it free on her blog here from now until September 24th, 2019. After then, the patterns in this QAL may not be available anymore or may be available for a small fee. Don’t delay, download them today.

Tips and Tricks to Constructing this Block

1. Put on your big girl panties and JUST DO IT! I must admit I’ve had this pattern for months so that I could make my block and provide feedback to April, the pattern designer, well ahead of release time. This is how we operate in this QAL. But this block scared me. I’ve never made a tumbler quilt or even one block before. So I saved it until last because this is the last block for this QAL. I was intimidated. I set it aside until this morning when I woke up and REALIZED it needed to be done and posted by midnight tonight!!!  I shouldn’t have been worried. The pattern walks you through it step by step.
2. Read first. Start by reading the whole pattern.  
3. Iron your fabric. Check here for Tu-Na’s Tried and True Easy Guide to Pressing Matters. Do let your fabric cool before you cut it.
4. Coordinate your 3.5″ thimble squares and pair them up.
   

   I use design boards to arrange the pieces and carry it to my sewing machine.

5. Do a little assembly-line sewing, also known as chain sewing.
   

   The Cutting Gizmo makes short work of separating the chains.

6. Waste not want not. Keep the scraps you cut off when trimming the 3.5″ thimble pieces.
   

   Anything 3/4″-1.5″ becomes a string for making string blocks. Larger pieces get stored.

   

   I have bins to store pieces until I cut them into usable squares for other projects.

   

   Tu-Na Helper made me this handy wall organizer. It gets used a lot.

7. Mark all your pieces at once with the measurements in the pattern. 
   

   I use a mechanical pencil to mark the lines.

8. Then cut all of your pieces. Working in assembly line fashion makes the job quicker.
   

   I used a quilting ruler to help make the cuts. This is the part that really worried me. Could I cut off that triangle properly so the block would go together the way it should?

9. Haste makes waste.OOPS!! What’s wrong with this picture? The block is 2″ short and then I turned around and found these 3 leftover pieces. 
10. Mistakes do happen. Even to the most experienced people. When it happens to you, know how to correct it-quickly. Use this method to rip apart the wrongly sewn seam.
    

    Using a seam ripper, cut a stitch about every 1/2 inch on one side.

    

    Flip the piece over and grab the thread and pull. You might need a seam ripper or purple thang to help get it started. I usually start in the middle of the seam. It should come away easily.

    

    Now clean up the threads. I use the end of the Seam Fix Seam Ripper but fingers work, too.

    

    Press the seam so the needle holes disappear. Then fix the mistake and get on with it.

11. Use the Pins!But don’t sew over them.

See These Hosts for More Construction Tips

Look for bi-weekly inspiration from these bloggers.

Sandy @ SandyStar Designs

Abbie @ Sparkle On!

Jennifer @ The Inquiring Quilter

Karen @ Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats

In addition to those listed above, look for inspiration from these bloggers during:

Segment 3: July 16th to September 10, 2019

Kathleen  @ Kathleen McMusing

Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts 

Quilt Hosts

Look for bi-weekly inspiration from these bloggers as they turn their blocks into a quilt.

Bobbi @ Snowy Days Quilting

Sherry @ Powered by Quilting

April @ JANDA Bend Quilts  — The designer of this block

Becca @ Pretty Piney Quilts 

Join this QAL

You can join in anytime. Every other Tuesday, a new block will be released until all 13 blocks have been released. This QAL is divided into three segments. Segment one consisted of 5 blocks. Segments two and three will each have four blocks.

Share a picture of your block on our Facebook page, or on Instagram with the hashtag #SewLetsQAL. We want to see them. At the end of each segment, post a picture containing all the blocks in that segment. A prize will be awarded at the end of each segment. At the end of all the segments, a grand prize will be selected from among the pictures that contain a finished quilt top or finished projects containing all of the blocks from this QAL (one picture containing all of the 13 blocks finished into either a quilt top or several projects).

Segment 1: March 12th to May 21st

• March 12th – Block 1: Sandra @ Sandra Healy Designs — Find Block One There
• March 26th – Block 2: April @ JANDA Bend Quilts —Find Block Two  There
• April 9th – Block 3: Sherry @ Powered by Quilting — Find Block Three There
• April 23rd – Block 4: Bobbi @ Snowy Days Quilting — Find Block Four There
• May 7th – Block 5: Abbie @ Sparkle On! — Find Block Five There
• May 7th – Segment Wrap-up and Project Suggestions
• May 21st – Segment 1 Prize Winner Announced! Congratulations to Ethel Brake.

Segment 2: May 21st to July 15th

• May 21st- Block 6: Jennifer @ The Inquiring Quilter — Find Block 6 There
• June 4th – Block 7: Karen @ Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats — Find Block 7 There
• June 18th – Block 8: Sherry Shish @ Powered by Quilting — Find Block 8 There
• July 2nd – Block 9: Kathleen McCormick @ Kathleen McMusing — Find Block 9 There
• July 2nd – Segment Wrap-up and Project Suggestions
• July 16th – Segment 2 Prize Winner Announced! Congratulations to Lynette Lobb Bowden.

Segment 3: July 16th to September 10th

• July 16th – Block 10: Laura Piland @Slice of Pi Quilts — Find Block 10 There
• July 30th – Block 11: Becca Fenstermaker @Pretty Piney Quilts — Find Block 11 There
• August 13th – Block 12: Sandy Maxfield @Sandy Star Designs — Find Block 12 There
• August 27th – Block 13: April Adams @JANDA Bend Quilts — Find Block 13 There
• August 27th – Segment Wrap-up
• September 9th at 11:59 pm EDT – Last day to enter for the Segment 3 giveaway. Post a picture with all 4 blocks in this segment on either the linky party (find it on any of the blogs), Partners in Design Facebook page, or Instagram with the hashtag #SewLetsQAL.
• September 10th – Segment 3 Prize winner announced.  

Grand Prize Giveaway

• September 23rd at 11:59 pm EDT – Last day to enter for the grand prize giveaway. Post ONE picture of ALL 13 blocks from the Let’s Sew QAL made into either a Quilt top (doesn’t need to be quilted or bound) OR finished multiple projects that together use all the blocks. Post this picture on either the linky party (find it on any of the blogs), Partners in Design Facebook page, or Instagram with the hashtag #SewLetsQAL.
• September 24th – Grand Prize winner announced

Block patterns will be free from the designers and available on their blogs UNTIL the date of the Grand Prize announcement September 24th, 2019.

Enter to Win

Entering to win the prizes below is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Everyone (You must be 18 to be able to enter to win prizes) gets to participate because International entries are welcome! You do NOT need to have a blog to enter.
2. Make all of the blocks in this segment provided to you free of charge for this event. Use your own fabrics and embellish them as you like. If entering the giveaway, the blocks should definitely be recognizable as made from these free patterns.  Take one picture with all of them included.
3. Post one picture of all of your blocks by 11:59 PM EST, September 9, 2019 either on the Facebook page, or on Instagram with the hashtag #SewLetsQAL, or on the hosts blog Linky party at the end of each segment.  You are welcome to post a picture on each of the sources but it will only count as one entry.

Segment 3: Prizes and Sponsors

• 4” Needlecraft Scissors from Omnigrid (a Prym Company)
• 5 Piece Fat Quarter bundle from the “Ring Ring” collection by Hoodie Crescent (color Cinnamon) from Paintbrush Studio Fabrics
• Craft Storage Tool Box from Everything Mary
• 13 piece Fat Quarter Bundle of the Colette Collection from Timeless Treasures

AND

Choices!!!

You choose what you want to make: A quilt or several smaller projects. The sewing machine, revealed in segment one, is the only block that will be large (12.5″ x 18.5″ unfinished) . The rest will be 12.5″ unfinished. We have several hosts who will offer suggestions as to what you can do with your blocks if you don’t want to make a quilt.

Not sure what to do? Just start making the blocks and decide along the way. A grand prize will be offered for a completed (but it doesn’t have to be quilted) quilt top or several projects that use all of the 13 blocks.

I’ll be making several projects for my sewing room. I completed a mini quilt using one of the blocks from the first segment. You can read about it here. The remaining blocks from the first segment as well as a couple from the third segment will be used for a sewing machine cover. So I really can’t show you this project until those blocks have been revealed. Plus it gives me some extra time to complete it.

You will notice that my fabric has changed for each segment. 

Don’t Miss Out on My Previous Sew Let’s QAL Posts

Segment 1: 

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL — Introduction

Tu-Na Quilts: On Pins and Needles — A look at my fabric selection. It varies with each segment of the QAL.

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 1— Sewing Machine

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 2 — Quilt Along Mug Block

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 3 — Ruler

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 4 — Spinning Spools and Thread Tales

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 5 — Quilt Shop

Tu-Na Quilts: Segment One Wrap-Up and Project Idea — A Quilt Shop mini wall hanging

Segment 2:

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 6 — Binding Clips

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 7 — It’s a Pressing Issue — This is my pattern. The post also contains Tu-Na’s Tried and True Easy Guide to Pressing Matters.

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 8 — Pin Cushion

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 9 — In Stitches

Segment 3:

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 10 — Buttons

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 11 — By the Bolt

Tu-Na Quilts: Sew Let’s QAL Block 12 — Rotary Cutter

What I Learned Today:

1. Sewing Tumbler blocks isn’t as hard as I fretted about.
2. I wonder why I waited so long to give them a try.

Question: What new skill, block, or technique have you tried recently? This is the newest one for me. I did it without special tools or templates. Just used a cutting ruler and rotary cutter. It can be done.

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen, Tu-Na Quilts

I am not affiliated at this time with any of the items, products, services, or shops that I picture or talk about here on Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats. I just happen to like and use them.