Castro Quilt QAL
Week 1
Week 1 Goals:
Get acquainted with the pattern.
Play with fabric choices and color.
Post your fabric pull on Instagram!
Understanding the Pattern
Before we get down to making the big decisions on color schemes and fabric choices, give the pattern a thorough read through to get yourself acquainted. Determine which size you’ll be making and orient yourself to the size specific areas of the pattern. Here are some of the important takeaways of the pattern.
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Baby, Throw, Twin, and Bed
If you’re feeling crafty, you can also single blocks to utilize as a pillowcase or a SJM Hella Big Tote!
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Pattern rounds the fabric requirements to the closest standard fabric cut. It could be helpful to buy a bit extra if you’re concerned of miscut or error.
If you’re opting for a scrappy option - then go for it! This pattern is great for using up cuts of old fabrics.
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Follow cutting instructions as written to be most fabric efficient. You will cut your fabric by the width of fabric (selvage to selvage), then subcut the strips down to their indicated pieces. Be sure to label all your pieces as you go! This will help you stay organized! See labels at the end of the pattern.
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There are two main blocks in this pattern: Large and Small. You will make a determined number of each size depending on the size of the quilt you’re making.
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Each size quilt has its unique assembly instructions. Follow your desired size instructions and you can skip over the sections that aren’t your size.
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Because of the three-dimensional nature of this quilt, it is NOT recommended to send out for edge-to-edge long arm quilting. I advise you to quilt along the background strips, avoiding the ribbons. This quilt is also an excellent opportunity to hand quilt!
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A coloring page is placed at the end of the pattern, as well as a link for a digital coloring page on PreQuilt.com. PreQuilt is best used on a computer rather than a mobile device. See below for a full tutorial!
Color and Fabric Choices
When selecting a color palette and fabric choices, here’s some things to think about:
Am I creating this piece for myself or for another person?
What colors and fabrics make me feel something? You should gravitate toward what makes you feel excited - this will make the process a lot more fun.
Will this go with the overall vibe and aesthetic of the space it will live in? If it’s a throw for your couch, will the colors compliment the room well? If it’s for a baby, will it go with the theme of the nursery?
Because the main focus of the quilt is the ribbon wave, fabrics with large prints may not be well showcased. However, they can add a lot of visual texture if you’re cool with chopping them up!
Do I want to go with the seven color option, completely scrappy, or maybe reduce to a repeating color option?
Here’s some color and fabric samples to give you some inspiration!
Be sure to check out the Castro Quilt Launch blog post for all of the amazing tester samples!
PreQuilt Demonstration
Check out this video tutorial to walk you through how to use the FREE PreQuilt web based application to digitally color the Castro Quilt using real color swatches and fabric samples!
Here’s my fabric pull:
For our QAL, I’m going to be making a baby sized quilt using these Hole Punch Dot fabrics by Ruby Star Society. Instead of a full seven color option, I’m going to mirror three of the colors from the center to give a cool gradient effect. The fun of this pattern is that the ribbons are completely customizable! Just be sure to keep them labeled!
Post on Instagram and Giveaway Details
Post a picture of your fabrics that you’ll be using for your Castro Quilt!
Post on your Instagram account by Sunday, 5:00pm PST to be entered to win the weekly giveaway. Be sure to use the hashtags #CastroQAL and #CastroQuilt, and follow @TheQuiltyArchitect, @Allison.Ramsing, and @CabinWeekProjects to be entered. If your account is private, please send me a screen shot to my DMs of your post so I can count you in! Winner will be announced on Monday on my Instagram.
The Week One giveaway prize is open to all. Winner will receive a bundle of my favorite patterns from my favorite designers!
The Quilty Architect - Glitch Mode
Allison Ramsing - Joyful Stripes, Color Swatches, Majestic Scraps
Cabin Week Projects - Inconceivable
