Get Ready to SIZZLE!

Recently, the 2019 Block of the Month for the The Quilt show was announced. Sizzle is a quilt designed by Becky Goldsmith, of Piece 'O Cake Designs. It features nine 20" blocks that are paper pieced with Becky's terrific, easy method and four applique' borders. And it is FREE for Star members of The Quilt Show--join now if you are not a current member, so you can get ready to SIZZLE with us.

I want to encourage you: IF you love this quilt and want to make it, you CAN! Becky will provide wonderful videos to show you her process, step-by-step. throughout the year. I will have a Blog Post on the first of each month, showing my progress and that of the Sunday Sew and Sews--yes, they are on board too. It is NOT a quick, slap-it-together quilt project, but it is one that will teach you so much if you take the time to READ the directions and WATCH  the videos.

Kits are currently available while supplies last from The Quilt Show Store. The Cool Kit is for me, those colors are just so beautiful. Of course, I love the Warm one too, so if I had time to make two, I'd get them both.

Now the Fabric Requirements  have been published so if you want to use your own fabric, you can start getting your palette together. Introduction--Fabric Requirements

 Just for fun, I have pulled fabrics from my stash to create a possible palette. One of the things about this design that is different from how I usually work is, the fabrics are all SOLIDS. I have a substantial stash of prints, but not a lot of solids. Here is what I came up with, all the fabrics just have to "read" as solids. The white background is only a possibility, the Warm quilt does not use a white. The Cool quilt uses 3 white to gray backgrounds:

One of the things you can do NOW to get ready is to prepare a Notebook, a place to keep all the pages of Instructions and Patterns you will print. Now you can print the Fabric Requirements--there are two, one for Warm, one for Cool--pick the one you prefer and print that, they are about 8-9 pages and the colors will  help you select your own, if you choose not to use the Kit:

3-Ring Binder--mine is 1.5" wide size

We will have General Instructions, Applique' Instructions, and Patterns in addition to the Fabric Requirements pages

Monthly Tabs help me stay organized

At the end of the Fabric Requirements, you will find the suggested NOTIONS for this project. It lists specific products by  name, making it easy for you to get the exact item Becky recommends. You may already have some of these items that are similar. You can try them to see if you get a good result or buy the recommended products.

For example. Becky recommends using Translucent Vellum paper. I agree--you need to be able to see through the printed patterns to place the fabrics correctly. While I prefer to paper-piece with newsprint, for this quilt I will use Vellum. I bought two to try. This tracing pad came from my local Hobby Lobby--it was on 50% discount that week, making it worth the need to trim the  pages from 9" x 12" to 8.5" x 11". We will need 71 pages so it would take two of these 50 sheet pads for the quilt:

 This package of paper came from Amazon, 100 sheets, 8.5" x 11". This is enough for the quilt:

I test printed a Block with each paper. Neither smeared, and each is thin and very easy to see through. Once I can start sewing, I will test each and decide which I prefer--I really expect it to be a toss-up. The pattern is designed in eighths that fit on one page, so we will print 8 copies of each pattern each month:

Other notions on the list apply to the applique' borders--these appear after the nine blocks are completed, so there is no rush to buy those notions right now. If you do needle-turn applique', as I like to do, your supplies will be different.

Plan now to watch the show, premiering December 30, where Becky will show you how easy this can be with her method. The pattern for Block 1 will be available January 1, 2019--as always, the first of each month we get a new pattern.

My last TIP--be sure you have printer paper and ink on hand January 1--the General Instructions are comprehensive--about 30 pages. I think you will want to print them rather than looking at your computer frequently for that information. It is your "Instruction Book" for this paper-piecing process.

I hope you will join us on this year-long journey while you make a wonderful quilt. Why not find a few others in your area who want to work together--having a group is fun and a great way to learn a new technique.

Let's quilt!

Barbara