Let the Quiltalong Begin!

Our first order of business... how about a blog button?  Everybody knows that if you don't have a blog button, you aren't running a REAL quiltalong, so here we are: 

Ah, so nice.  Now that we have established our legitimacy, on to the fabric:

The quilt is made up of 2" finished squares (2.5" cut size), so the 3x4 block layout above comes out to a 60" x 80" finished size (after quilting & washing).  That's a bit on the small size for a twin quilt, with about a 10" drop on each side of the bed and a 6" drop at the bottom.  My natural tendency is to make bed quilts oversized, but this one will be going to my very young niece.  She takes up about a tenth of her twin size bed.  Her mom requested a smaller size because apparently it is hard for the little folks to manage a quilt that matches them by weight and has a lot of overhang - it keeps trying to slide off the bed.  If you want your quilt a little bigger, two good options are:

1. Bump up to a 4x5 layout, for a finished size of 80" x 100" (generous quilt for up to a full size bed)
2. Increase your finished square size to 2.5" (cut size is 3").  This works if you are cutting from scraps & yardage, but you won't be able to work with jelly rolls.  The finished size for this is about 72" x 98" (also good for a twin, XL twin, or full size). 

For the 3x4 layout, you need just shy of 200 squares of each color.  For the 4x5 layout, you need 335 squares of each color.  That means that you will need:

On top of that, you will need a yard of white for sashing.  

Note that you only need the total yardage in ONE of the cells above, depending on whether you are using scraps, jelly rolls, or yardage, and on the finished quilt size.  If you are using a lot of different fabrics, bump up your yardage a little and purchase in multiples of your cut square size, i.e. 2.5" or 3". 

Does that make sense?  I don't mind answering fabric yardage questions related to your personal quilt plan, so ask away!

This quiltalong will be somewhat extremely leisurely, and I will be just checking in most weeks because the blocks are all the same pattern.  Here is an outline of what we will be covering from here on out:

1. Block construction by "chunking"
2. Block cutting & assembly instructions
3. Optional embroidery squares
4. Sashing and top assembly by "chunking"
5. Show off the finished products