Gypsy Wife: January Blocks + Prizes
This post is part of the 2019 Gypsy Wife Quilt-Along! See all posts.
Hello fellow Gypsies (and everyone following along)! I know January is already well-begun, but we’re going to make a proper start to our month with goals and prizes today. Hmm… and maybe some tips as well. Here’s what’s happening this January for our quilt-along.
January Blocks
There are 4 blocks for your Gypsy Wife quilt on our January schedule. These are the first 4 blocks in your pattern booklet too. Wondering where they fall on the quilt? Here’s a map to help you see:
Color Wheel is our 1st block, nearly at quilt center. See Errata for a corrected diagram, if you have the original edition. If you have the new edition, it will state “Second Edition” on the Intro page.
Pershing is our 2nd block. It’s just to the right of Color Wheel. If you like to machine paper piece, go to Gnome Angel to download the foundation paper piecing pattern created by Julie Hirt at 627handworks. Tips from my co-host, @ScrappyViolet: When you prep fabrics, don’t cut on diagonals the 2” fabric E squares. Also, if you’re not paper piecing, it helps to trim the block after each round is added.
From the Heart comes next. It is the heart-shaped block at the upper edge of the quilt, toward the left side.
Hope from Hartford is our 4th January block. It’s the pointy block made up of half-quarter-square-triangles at the left side of the quilt. This is our first block with a partial seam. Don’t worry, partial seams aren’t the same as y-seams. Partial seams are just a seam you start, but don’t sew completely. Later you come back and finish sewing it without any special treatment. Here’s a tutorial by Fresh Lemons to help you see.
Making a Late Start
Are you still waiting to receive your pattern booklet? At the moment there are 3 booklets in stock at this Etsy shop. Snap one up! If you can’t find one to purchase, I wonder if you might be able to buy or borrow one from a quilty friend? This pattern has been around and lots of people have it!
While you’re waiting, you can get started on the Pershing block by using the machine paper piecing pattern. If you’re confident with half square triangles, you could also make the Color Wheel block freestyle. It finishes at 9” square, 9.5” unfinished.
I made my Color Wheel block prior to receiving my copy of the pattern. Always nice to stay on schedule!
Of course, you’ll need the pattern booklet to make a Gypsy Wife quilt! These tips are only meant for those waiting for their booklet to arrive.
by ScrappyViolet
Getting Ahead
Experienced Gypsy Wife QALers always recommend starting on your filler blocks right from the start! Filler blocks are small, simple blocks that are scattered throughout the quilt. There are 47 square in square filler blocks on our schedule in April. Sure, they’re easy, but that adds up! It’s nice to knock some out when your enthusiasm is running high.
Kelli of Scrappy Violet has already churned out a lovely batch of filler blocks. What a great example she is! I plan to start on mine this weekend. Flip to page 19 in your pattern booklet to find the filler block directions.
These are another aspect you can start while your booklet is in transit. Hydee Ann at Splish Splash Stash shares an alternate method of making the 3.5" sq-in-sq blocks and 4.5" sq-in-sq blocks. That’s the method I’ll be using, since it doesn’t create excess triangle scraps. You’ll need 23 of the 3” finished blocks (3.5” unfinished) and 10 of the 4” finished blocks (4.5” unfinished).
Prizes!
Kelli and I think that quilt-along prizes are a fun way to stay on task and motivated. Each month, January - April, you’ll have a chance to win a prize, so long you complete all the month’s assignments by the last day of the month. For January, you need to complete all 4 blocks (Color Wheel, Pershing, From the Heart and Hope from Hartford) by January 31st.
How to Enter
Post pictures of each of your January blocks to Instagram. You can post them one at a time or in a big batch. Each time you post Gypsy Wife blocks, please use #2019GypsyWifeQAL so that we can enjoy seeing your progress and cheer you on.
Tag your final January block photo with #Jan2019Gypsies. That hashtag enters you into the pool of possible winners. Make sure this goes live by midnight in your time zone, on the last day of the month.
Follow @StitchedinColor, @ScrappyViolet and our month’s giveaway sponsor. In January that’s @QuiltSandwichFabrics.
Cross your fingers! Winner will be randomly chosen and announced early in the following month.
January Prize
Thanks to Quilt Sandwich Fabrics for providing our January prize! They put together a set of colorful goodies that would brighten anyone’s day. Our lucky January winner will receive:
If you live in the United States, your prize will be shipped to you, free of charge. If you live internationally, you will receive a $50 gift certificate instead, which you could use to purchase these items or any of the fun fabrics and supplies at Quilt Sandwich!
I think that’s everything, friends. Happy sewing!
