Barn Quilt BOM Quilt Along Official Kickoff!

by poweredbyquilting · August 7, 2019

Today's the day that the Barn Quilt BOM Quilt Along officially kicks off! I am so excited to be quilting alongside some really awesome quilters and some really amazing hosts!

There are two options that you can do for this quilt along, the full quilt or 3 mini quilts!

Kaleidoscope

This month we are focusing on fabric choices. The quilt that I made is out of Kaleidoscope fabrics by Island Batik. If you are looking for this specific quilt kit, you can purchase it from your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik. Find your store using the store locator.

Shops that will be carrying kits:

Please note: If you are a shop running this Quilt Along and want to be listed, leave me a comment and I'll update this list!

So why did I pick Kaleidoscope fabric? The colors are really bright and beautiful and would showcase against a solid white background. The SKUs that I picked are considered blenders. However, prints would look good in the pattern except in the center. The flying swallow has no y-seams and the seams in the middle of the block would be very noticeable if prints were used. I would highly recommend solids or blenders for the center block!

I have 4 hosts joining me on this journey! Read about their fabric choices on their blogs linked below.

Who are the hosts?

MEET KATHLEEN! I have sewn nearly my whole life and love it. My vision as a quilter is to assist those who love quilting but need some help finding a great technique or the inspiration to finish a project or try something new. I have taught quilting for many years and love sharing my quilting knowledge. As a young girl, I made my own clothes. During college/graduate school I sewed less, but I did still make some clothes. After graduate school, I took a beginning quilting class with a co-worker. I was hooked. In the early years of my marriage and child-rearing, I quilted a little, but I really got back into it after taking an applique class at Cambridge Quilt Shop. Later, I began to work there - a dream job for over 15 years - and did so until we decided to downsize. As we were planning to retire to an island in Maine, I began to reach out to the internet quilting world as I knew access to my quilting community would change. I started designing and became a brand ambassador for Island Batik in 2018. I am loving my quilting community where ever I find it. Join me in my journey and let me know if I can help you.

MEET VANDA! A little about me. I love designing paper pieced patterns and a little bit of applique. My love for quilting came from my aunt, who inspired me to use my creative gene to make awesome quilts. Over the last couple of years, I grew from feeling like a stupid newbie to feeling like a real quilter. Some people have called me experienced, I don’t consider myself that at all. There is so much more I need to learn. Being self-taught, there are many things that I might be doing wrong. I take every opportunity to watch YouTube videos of different quilting techniques and so on. So my one and only tip I have for new quilters just starting out, don’t ever give up. Even the Super Stars in the quilting world, who have 30 + years experience, started out making a quilt for the first time, and I am pretty sure, that even they still learn something new every day. When I just started out, I designed patterns to fill a well-hidden geeky personality, mainly with Star Trek patterns, followed by Fantastic beasts. While I still design and love designing those geeky patterns, I have also grown to love very modern-looking quilts. My goal going forward will be to focus on modern quilts, with supplements of geeky patterns. You can never have enough of those.
The quilting bug bit me quite late in life, at the ripe old age of 40. I wish now that I had learned how to quilt from an early age. I am a single mom of 1 young man, now 19. And have a full-time, real-life career as a website administrator.
For me, Quilting is my therapy, I try to quilt at least 2 hours a day, after work and as many hours as I can on holidays and weekends. I have found that with each block I finish, a bit of my soul heals, a feeling of well-being spreads through my body and mind. I can’t imagine not being able to sew for an extended period of time.
I am also a Staff Writer and pattern designer for Fandom in Stitches. www.fandominstitches.com

MEET APRIL! I have been sewing most of my life and have been a quilter on and off for over 40 years. My husband and I moved to rural Oklahoma in 1999. He retired from the oil industry and started JANDA Bend Christmas Trees on our newly purchased farm. I was hired as an Assistant Professor at Northeastern State University in nearby Tahlequah, OK. I enjoyed teaching there and helping to prepare K-12 science teachers. However, in May 2016, I decided to retire and launch JANDA Bend Quilts as an online business. JANDA Bend Quilts focuses on Teaching Quilting Skills, Designing Quilt Patterns, and Nurturing Communities of Quilters. As a Quilt in a Day Certified Teacher, I am certified to teach Quilt in a Day methods and patterns. In addition, I teach workshops for my own patterns. I am also a member of the Partners in Design group, a blogger, and a member of the RV Quilter Facebook group. In this quilt along, I will be making three mini quilts using Sherry Shish’s Barn Quilt pattern. I can hardly wait to get started!

MEET ABBIE! Hi, I’m Abbie Danahy of Sparkle On! Sewing has always been one of my crafty hobbies but once I started quilting, it stole my heart! I started a quilt blog three years ago as a new quilter, to join the online quilting community. It’s a pleasure sharing ideas, giving and receiving inspiration and connecting with all of you!
I also am a member of “Partners in Design: A Place Where Friends and Fabric Meet.” We are a group of quilt block pattern designers who regularly bring you free Mystery QALs.
I live in central Pennsylvania with my partner and our kitty.

Quilt Along Schedule:

August: We have started!!! YAY! Time to gather all the supplies and prep work for the quilt along. The newsletter will have coloring sheets for the full quilt and mini quilt options!
September: Month 1 blocks.
October: Month 2 blocks and Mini Quilt #1 assembly.
November: Month 3 blocks.
December: Month 4 blocks and Mini Quilt #2 assembly.
January: Month 5 blocks/Mini Quilt #3 assembly.
February: Month 6 blocks and Quilt Top Assembly
March: Show off your amazing work!

All newsletters and blog posts will be released on the first Wednesday of each month! The pattern is written for the full quilt so each month, I'll be sending out cutting instructions for that month in the newsletter.

I will also be doing a Facebook Live video in the Powered By Quilting Quilters Facebook Group each month and those will be announced in the newsletter and blog posts. If you can't make the video, don't worry they will be saved so you can watch them on your own time. This month's live video will be this Saturday, August 10 at 9am CDT. I can't wait to chat with you!

Prizes:

I have a few prizes set up for each of the months starting in September but I'm still working through all those details!

How to do you join?

Purchase the pattern! Respond back to my "Thank You for your purchase" email and I'll add you to the newsletter list! If you already purchased the pattern and haven't done this, send me an email and I'll add you!

Buy Now

Join the Facebook Group!

Join me again on Friday for Friday Foto Fun! Link up and share your progress on your own projects!