Oasis Quilt Sew Along

Oasis Quilt Sew Along

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In case you haven't already heard, there will be a super fun sew along in the One Thimble Sewing Enthusiasts Facebook Group next week...featuring none other than my rather awesome Oasis Quilt Pattern.

Read more about Jen's brand new quilting journey, and her decision to host this sew along, in her latest blog post.

Let's get down to some sew along business, shall we?

If you have never made a quilt before, have no fear. I will be by your side during the sew along (or any time for that matter) to answer any questions you have. I also have a number of tutorials in my Beginner Quilt Along that may assist you. If you're unfamiliar with constructing a quilt I highly recommend you have a quick read of these tutorials. They will help bring you up to speed with terminology and ease your mind before beginning this great new adventure.

The Oasis Quilt is a great project for beginners. It's easy, though still interesting to piece, and the small size makes it perfect for learning quilting.

Choosing fabric need not be stressful. I designed the quilt with simplicity in mind. A garden oasis within the surrounding desert. When selecting your fabric, keep the following in mind:

• Use a simple background fabric so as not to take the focus away from the diamonds. Plain/Solid or tone-on-tone fabrics work well.

• If you're particular about pattern placement on fabric, avoid directional prints or fussy cutting in both the background and diamonds. It could look very funky, but it will add unnecessary stress if this is your first quilt (or first time strip piecing in this manner).

• As you can see in the photos below, the diamonds look great in both solid or patterned fabric. 

You could choose to use a range of shades of a single colour...

Quilt by Joanne

Quilt by Tash (Sew Many Stitches Tasmania)

Quilt by Tracey

...or multiple, individual colours.

My first prototype using only two colours

The Original Oasis Quilt

If all else fails, and you really can't decide, simply choose four shades of your favourite colour in a plain/solid fabric. For the background, use black, white, grey or a cream/natural colour.

Fabric Preparation

I recommend pre-washing the fabric for this quilt, particularly if you are using a range of light and dark fabrics. It's better to be safe than sorry and trust me, you don't want to spend hours piecing, quilting and binding to then have the quilt ruined the first time you wash it.

I also recommend starching your fabric as it will help to prevent it stretching once it is cut on an angle. To do this, I spray the starch on one side, then flip it over and iron the other side. This stops starch building up on your iron. I then repeat so that both sides have been starched. It seems like extra work and it's very tempting to skip it, but I can assure you it's worth the time. I made a few prototypes for this quilt and the ones I took the time to prepare properly were much easier to sew.

Where to from here? 

Gather your fabric, pre-wash, starch and iron it ready for next week. There is no need to cut anything yet. Remember to grab your copy of the Oasis Quilt Pattern too, either as a stand alone PDF or in One Thimble Issue 8.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the One Thimble Sewing Enthusiasts Facebook Group. I'm really looking forward to starting our new adventure and can't wait to see your fabric choices.