The Quintessential Quiltalong
Do you check your QAL’s WhatsApp/Facebook groups to either share or see what everyone else has shared first thing in the morning? Or do you save this for when you can sit down with a nice cup of coffee and be a part of the conversation in the group, commenting and replying and 😍ing the finished blocks and giving your two bits of advice that someone else has already given (that you obviously missed because there were 30 odd messages to read through 😜) Then you are with me here!
But for those of you who ask - Since when did a Quiltalong/QAL become quintessential? After all, it’s an optional thing, totally dependent on your choice, if you love the the design, the availability of your time, whether you want to do it or not, etc. So why is it quintessential? Read on…
My first QAL was the Mystery Quilt QAL by Edyta Sitar in 2020. Jumped in midway. All because another friend was doing it. I was already thinking about it, but hearing that she was doing it motivated me to join. So there you have it ….the biggest reason - Doing an activity with a friend! Bonus points if it’s a quilting activity!💯
Quilting 🧵🪡 can be a very solitary activity …just you and your machine and your fabric and your thread creating magic 🪄✨ . There’s never a requirement for anyone else to be there. For a very long time, I was the only quilter that I knew! Yes, Facebook groups was there … but I mean personally. Then I happened upon a wonderful group of quilters when I was in Singapore …was so excited to meet them that the usual questions of how can you sew with someone else, how can I transport my machine to every meeting, what will I even sew with them there, I don’t really like to sew by hand so what do I do, I don’t do traditional patterns, etc got pushed away to a corner of my mind, and I decided to give the meeting every week a try. That was my initiation into a sort of quilt guild. So exciting ! 😍 I had heard from my MIL stories of how she and her friends used to knit along 🧶 with each other, each doing their own patterns, but still having a great time together with friends, thus making knitting a non-solitary activity. I was thrilled to have an opportunity to do the same here ! And, it was great! Not that I did a lot of quilting at these meets, mainly since I didn’t like sewing by hand much ….but just being around them, being around their creativity, just talking something, anything, all of that was awesome!😎 I had the good fortune of finding a similar group when I moved back to India too. Quilting, it seems, had become popular in the years that I was away, and Facebook helped too.
This is what I did at the quilt meets – just sew strips together !
This is what I did at the quilt meets - just sew strips together! 🤷🏻♀️
Then covid hit. My first QAL was mainly a reaction to the utter domesticity of life in a lockdown … I didn’t have the time to make my own patterns, so at least let me follow something someone else is doing and get something creative done ! Easier said than done, since I don’t like to make traditional quilts or something that I haven’t designed or for that matter, working with tiny pieces. My friend doing it was the deciding factor for me. We encouraged each other to finish, shared our blocks, finished quilts, and ranted too at the tiny tiny piecing. The experience was unbelievable! To feel such a sense of belonging, camaraderie, creativity, etc while in a lockdown …amazing !❤️
I’m a part of two other QALs now. I’ve met people … new people…now friends, through this. None of us live near each other, I haven’t even met them face-to-face ( Zoom doesn’t count, right?) but we all met through a QAL and eventually connected as friends. At a time when we weren’t even meeting our neighbours , I met these amazing people , interacted with them, bonded with them over a common interest and more ! That right there, is what makes a QAL quintessential!
What’s more, they have encouraged me to continue to be creative, irrespective of whether it was in relation to the QAL or not, to get back in line with what everyone is doing when I missed a few blocks, to improve my skill level, learn new techniques, to recognise that there are different ways of doing things in addition to yours, to aim for perfection, and above all, encouragement that not everything has to turn out perfectly ! That’s positivity and positive reinforcement at its best ! 🙏🏼 🥰 I’ve even had the good fortune of hosting a QAL myself, being in the teacher’s/driver’s seat - a new feather in my cap - aided of course, by the encouragement of everyone in the QAL! 😎
My Quintessential Quiltalongs so far – LBQ Mystery Quilt 2020, Dear Jane( ongoing), Moda Blockheads ( ongoing), Back To My Roots (My pattern ! Yay !
My Quintessential Quiltalongs so far - LBQ Mystery Quilt 2020, Dear Jane😅( ongoing), Moda Blockheads ( ongoing), Back To My Roots (My pattern ! Yay )
So sign up for a QAL today ….
Find a group of friends you want to do something with, and keep your mind open with respect to the project they choose. It’s doing something with them that’s the main point here.
Or find a project that you love and find a group to do it or that’s already doing it - there’s most likely a Facebook group if it’s one of the famous ones. Or you can always create a WhatsApp group if you are a small bunch.
Don’t be limited by the kind of project that you like ! All my QALs have been for traditional pieced projects - Mystery QuiltQAL, Moda Blockheads, Dear Jane - and I don’t like traditional piecing! I mean, I love the different ways a triangle or a square or a diamond or any other geometric shape can make designs of such versatile tastes and sensibilities , but wouldn’t be what I would reach for. Then again, a QAL isn’t just about your creativity. It’s a bonding activity with many people too, a learning opportunity as well.
QAL is also an opportunity to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. How much you want to push yourself is also up to you! My traditional piecing blocks are more often than not “creatively pieced “ 😜 and I have no issues with it. I mean, I’ll put in the effort to make points match most of the time, but where there’s tiny pieces involved or too much bulk produced at seams, I won’t fuss there !
If your group chooses a project that seems simple or not interesting enough to you, give yourself a challenge in it. It could be as simple as using a colour that you don’t like or haven’t used enough, or a combination you haven’t tried, or making it in bright or pastel colours, or a gradient , etc. That tiny decision right there, is enough to get your creative juices flowing. In fact they already did, while you were trying to think of a challenge! And you haven’t even jumped into the project yet ….think about it!😃
There’s also the added bonus that you might need to go fabric shopping ! 💃 💃 Do you really need more incentive than that?
Just google “quilt along 2022” to find great projects!
Whatever the reason that tickles your fancy here, join up. Don’t miss out on an amazing opportunity to get motivated, be encouraged, etc., all from the comfort of your sewing room !
Happy Quilting !
P.S : would love to hear your thoughts on this post! Please leave a comment below….