Clambake: QAYG Progress

So I have a confession to make... I'm not doing very good at this "slow, relaxed" quilt-along concept.  I just can't leave my clams alone!  Cutting went so fast with the die cutter shortcut.  Then once they were cut, I arranged the rainbow of clams on my design wall.  Now how can I resist that rainbow?

I'm finding the quilt-as-you-go applique process so very inviting, perfect for the nooks and crannies of my days.  I can press and glue baste a row or stitch down a row in bits of time, with lots of easy stop/starting places and no mess, since everything's cut and ready to go.

Here's the process:

I press the curved upper edge under by 1/4".  Turns out a generous1/4" is a bad idea, as that will not provide quite enough overlap between clams.  A normal 1/4" works nicely.

Then line up the pressed clams across a row, clamshells touching edge to edge.  There are 13 clams in my colored rows.

Once arranged, I sew a very close edge stitch all the way across one row, following the curved edge of the clams in a scallop-shaped path.  As you can see, I'm sewing right through my batting and backing, quilting as I go.  See this post for all the details on how to set up your applique background for clamshell quilt-as-you-go (QAYG).

My neutral rows each have 12 whole clams and (2) half clams. Then it's on to another colored row!  Glue basting each clam prevents shifting while I applique, without having to dodge or remove pins.  Yay!

You can make half-clams by simply cutting clams in half.  I didn't have any whole clams to spare, so I made use of fabric scraps!  That's why my half clams vary in size.

And I just can't stop!  Really.  I'm going to have to pack this away if I want to focus on sewing anything else (ahem, bee blocks, baby quilt...).

So now I've shown you mine.  How about yours?   Let's have a Clambake link party this Thursday.  You can share photos of wherever you are in the process, whether cutting or sewing or still choosing fabrics!  Can't wait to see.

Happy quilting!

p.s. Just joining the Clambake?  See this post for links to all relevant posts.  I hope you'll jump right in!