Week 7 | Long Time Gone Sew-along | Churn Dashes

Welcome to week seven of the Long Time Gone Sew-along. Things are going to be short and sweet this week. My original post for this week was already to go and then somehow disappeared into cyberspace.  But here I am and sorry for the delay. We are taking on the adorable churn dashes this week and whether you decide to fussy cut or not they are bound to be cute!

 I went on a bit of a crazy fussy cut journey with mine and am loving the effect! It's amazing what you can do with some solids and only two prints!

Angie and I will be alternating tutorials for the duration of the sew-along and today's block just happens to be hers. So pop on over to catch the tutorial and see what fabulousness she has made by clicking here!

Don’t forget Marti Michell is also offering a conversion chart and tutorial on how to make this block using her templates. See Marti’s tutorial and get the conversion chart by clicking here.

 

My kaleidoscope, fussy cutting skills were on point here and to see some tips on how I like to tackle these types of cuts check out my post from the start of the sew-along by clicking here.

The first churn dash block I made was this little guy,

 

 

who ultimately didn't make it into the final block but was what sparked the idea to cut and arrange the pieces the way I did.

Lining up the two prints to make the matching HST's was tricky at first but when you're working with such little pieces it honestly isn't going to matter if they're perfect or not. So don't get all twisted up  about points not aligning perfectly, or prints that aren't matched spot on. It's one block in a quilt of many and once it's all quilted up and washed those bits that don't come together as perfectly as you wanted will be all but invisible!

I pressed all of my seams open for this one to reduce the bulk. There are so many little bits coming together that pressing flat was the only way to go.

After the intensity of this block I took things a little more simple for second one.

This one went together waaaay faster! I wanted to bring in more of that blue solid that I used in my Trip Around the World block to balance things out better. And that Sundials print of AMH's is one that I wish would get reprinted, in all the colourways! Love it so much!

I played around with the layout on it for quite awhile until I was happy with the arrangement and in the end I had these two little churn dashes left over. Don't be afraid to make more than what you need. You will get a better idea of what your final block will look like and you can always use the leftovers for other projects.

I think I'll make some cute little zip pouches with these little guys!

Prize Winning Details

Of course the ultimate prize is making this amazing quilt, but if you'd like to also throw your hat in the ring to win some amazing prizes from our amazing sponsors then here's the information you need to know. You can find out more about our sponsors and the prizes on offer by clicking here.
 
We've made it as simple as possible for you to win. To be eligible for all prizes on offer all you have to do is:

• Post a photo of  this weeks  block to your Instagram account between 12:01am April 26th and 11:59pm May 2nd 2017 in your timezone. 

• Tag your photo with the hashtags #LongTimeGoneSAL #AlisonGlass #AndoverFabrics #SewWithTheBest #AnnaMariaHorner #FreeSpiritFabrics #JenKingwell #LongTimeGoneQuilt #AmitieTexiles #MartiMichell #LovePatchworkQuilting

• Be Following these accounts on Instagram:
• @GnomeAngel
• @SnipsSnippets
• @AlisonGlass
• @AnnaMariaHorner
• @JenKingwell
• @AndoverFabrics
• @FreeSpiritFabrics
• @MartiMichell
• @LoveQuiltingMag

Please Note: You do not need to tag these accounts in your images, if you use the hashtag #LongTimeGoneSAL we'll be able to find you! 

You will also need to do the following:

• Post a photo of each of the blocks in their relevant weeks in your timezone. You can find the block timetable by clicking here. 
• Complete the quilt top and post it to Instagram within 12 July and Midnight 21 July in your timezone.
• All photos will need to have the relevant hashtags on them.
• You will need to be following all the relevant Instagram accounts at the time of the drawing.

Need help keeping all of that clear in your head, Angie has made up a fabulous Long Time Gone SAL Tracker, you can grab it by clicking here to download.

For more information you can find commonly asked questions and their answers by clicking here.

So that's it for this week! I'm back from Disney World, without my sewing machine (it's at the spa) and sitting under a mountain of projects!  Wish me luck!
xo nicole

No sneak peaks for the next block, haven't made them yet, eep!! So enjoy some shots of our Disney World vacation in no particular order!