Dropping In Sew Along Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Dropping In quilt sew along!

Purchase the Dropping In pattern in my online shop

Paper pattern available through QuiltWoman.com

Week 1 - cutting fabrics

Week 2 - Sewing Block As

These posts will always be available so start when you're ready!

Today we sew Block Bs!

I love the cool blues and bright greens of last week's blocks, but the pinks this week make me giddy!

Seriously, I didn't realize how much fun these fabrics are - hopefully whatever fabrics you are using are also bringing you this much delight :)

Chain piecing will be your trusty technique again this week - the simple squares and rectangle piecing make for an enjoyable, relaxing time at your machine. DO be sure to read the pattern as some seams will be pressed differently in these blocks to make quilt top construction easier. 

There's usually at least one cat under my sewing table at any given time - especially when I'm sewing! Echo is the main companion, and he loves to stretch out and keep an eye on the foot pedal ;)

I had enough of the pink grid fabric left that I made myself a mask to match the quilt! I use the free pattern by Beebe Healthcare to make this style of mask. 

Here is the link for the free pattern - opens as a pdf.

Binding Prep

I like to have my binding ready before I need to help me not procrastinate in finishing a quilt. This week you might have extra time and want to get yours ready too so I thought I'd share how I prep mine.

I join my strips by sewing them at a 45 degree angle to each other - I should have taken a photo of this step! 

I use my sewing machine to attach the binding to both sides of the quilt and I start by sewing it to the back. One step that I find makes it easier to do this (and was a tip from Pat Sloan) is to iron 1/4" of the binding to the wrong side along one of the edges - this edge will be sewn to the front. As I iron this edge down, I also press open the seams where the binding strips meet. This helps keep the binding smooth and flat as it goes on the quilt.

Here's a link to Pat's machine binding tutorial in case you want to try it out.

Week 3 to dos

~ Sew together the Block Bs

Repeat last week's steps, but with the Block B fabrics. Remember, you have all week! You can do these one unit at a time and chain stitch. Find 10 minutes a day and you will be able to complete these blocks this week.  

~Use the pattern to layout your fabrics to make sure you sew them together in the right order ;)

The pattern also gives directions for which direction to press the seams in your block to make putting the quilt top together easier.

~Prep the binding

If you have time and want to get ahead a bit, work on preparing the binding; sew the strips together at a 45 degree angle. Press these seams open and then, if you want to bind both sides to the quilt by machine, you can do what I do and iron 1/4" of one long edge of the binding to the wrong side.

~Share!

Join me in my facebook group where you can share photos of your fabrics. I'm also on instagram and using the hashtag #droppinginquilt to show my progress.

Let's #sewjoywithgoodvibes!

Sarah V.

Join my newsletter list to stay up to date with sew alongs, pattern releases and more. Plus you get to enjoy freebies that are only available to my newsletter subscribers. Click the image below to sign up!