Modern Fans Quilt Sew-Along
Welcome! Welcome, one and all to the Modern Fans sew-along! Wahooo! This post will (hopefully) clear up any questions you have on the who, what, when, and where, but before jumping in with an itemized list of deets, I want to share with you why I get so very excited about this particular sew-along. It can be boiled down into one glorious word. Curves.
Maybe you’re a curve-lovin’ queen, or maybe sewing curves has intimidated you for years. Whatever your current relationship status is with sewing curved edges, I want to add some group fun. Let’s have a curv-o-licious party together!
I designed the Modern Fans quilt in 2015. At that point, even after 14 years of quilting, I had never sewn a curve before, but I thought to myself, “What’s the fuss? It can’t be that hard.” And you know what? I was right! It really wasn’t. With minimal practice, I was sewing beautifully curved quilt blocks that looked much more complex than they really were. I had such a feeling of accomplishment!
Quiltketeers, I want to share that empowering-warrior-princess feeling with you. So what does a Suzy Quilts sew-along look like? Well, we’re going to be discovering the answer to that together because this Modern Fans sew-along is actually my first sew-along...ever....so yay for trying new things!
But you know what? Just like when I thought, “What’s the fuss? It can’t be that hard.” I’m diving into hosting this thing face (plant) first. We’ll be in it together!
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Modern Fans Sew-Along Facts
Now for that itemized list. Although I love to be wordy and explain and chat and discuss all things, I think in this case a bulleted list will serve you better. I'll try very hard to restrain myself.
What the Heck is a Sew-Along?
Oh dang, I was totally going to give you a list, but now I'm back to over-explaining things. Quiltsplaining, if you will. But to those of you who have not heard of a Sew-Along or Quilt-Along before, let me give you a quick rundown.
In a nutshell, a sew-along is when a group of the coolest and most talented people in the world get together virtually (a.k.a. online) and sew the same pattern over a set amount of time. The really exciting thing is that with a potentially tricky sewing pattern (ahum...curves) nobody has to muddle through alone. There will be lots of support via Instagram and Facebook and through this very blog.
Why the Heck is a Sew-Along?
Don't think too hard about the phrasing of that question. Why, you ask? Here comes that list I've been promising:
- Prizes, baby! Every week by posting your progress to Instagram and using #ModernFansSA you will be entered into that week's giveaway. Each week is sponsored by an amazing company, hand picked by me, to award one lucky person a free prize mailed directly to your door! You must have a public Instagram profile to participate.
- Support. Curvettes, I’m here for you – in mind, body, and quilt. Here’s what support for this sew along will include:
- A weekly blog post explaining what we plan to accomplish, helpful tips, and what I’m working on. This will include instructions for the week, tips, and reposts of the quilts you’re making. A new post will go live every Wednesday morning around 8:00am Central (I'm in Chicago...so that time zone).
- A weekly newsletter will go out the following Thursday morning reminding you about that week's prompt. If you're not already signed up for the SQ newsletter, sign up here!
- A Facebook group for any and all questions that we can answer as a team or I can answer myself. Ya’ll know how obsessed I am with the Suzy Quilts Patterns FB group. The group dynamic is positive, uplifting, helpful, and I am always learning from the other members. This group will remain a forum for all SQ patterns, but during the Modern Fans Sew-Along will be a great place for questions too about the pattern and sew-along specifically. I will also be posting videos and Live Q&A sessions in both the FB group and on Instagram.
- Skill sharing. I sew curves a certain way, but someone else may have another way. The great thing about sharing knowledge is that you can gather up everyone's opinions and then form your own! I bet we'll all come out on the other side with new skills.
When: Wednesday, September 12, 2018
We will be starting September 12, but you can hop in at any time. These blog posts and the FB videos won't expire, so even after the sew-along is over, you're still welcome to participate!
Duration: 9 weeks, with the final week starting on November 7, 2018.
Schedule:
- Week 1: Pick fabric, gather supplies, choose your pattern layout (Don't fret about picking fabric in time. I'll post more about this before the Sept. 12 kick-off date.)
- Week 2: Cut and chain piece strips, cut out all templates
- Week 3: Sew 14 blocks
- Week 4: Sew 14 blocks
- Week 5: Sew 12 blocks
- Week 6: Sew 12 blocks
- Week 7: Sew 12 blocks
- Week 8: Chain piece rows together
- Week 9: Sew rows together for a finished quilt top!
How Do I Participate?
There's no official sign-up and technically the only thing you have to do to participate is make a Modern Fans quilt. Your level of involvement is completely up to you. As mentioned in the "Why the Heck is a Sew-Along" section, ways to get involved include:
- Sign up for the weekly newsletter to be reminded of the week's prompts.
- Check back here on the blog for weekly prompts and answers to comments.
- Join the Suzy Quilts Patterns Facebook group for more group discussion and videos.
- Use hashtag #ModernFansSA on Instagram when posting pics so that you can win prizes!
What We'll Make & Supplies You'll Need
The Modern Fans pattern includes king, queen/full, twin, throw, and baby quilt sizes plus instructions for an 18" square pillow. Feel free to make any of those quilt sizes during this sew along. I will be leading the group in making a 56" x 56" throw quilt. The throw quilt contains 64 - 7" finished blocks.
Above is a Modern Fans pillow made by Christine Myers using the quilted zipper pillow tutorial.
Supplies:
- Modern Fans quilt pattern
- Fabric as required in the pattern (see Fabric Requirements chart below)
- Basic Quilting Supplies
- Temporary marker
Extended Supply List:
- Plastic template sheets
- 7 ½" square ruler (this is really going to help you square up your blocks)
- Starch
- Small rotary cutter (makes cutting curves easier)
- Magnetic pin bracelet (cause it's awesome)
Sponsors & Prizes
What we've aaaaall been waiting for!!! Each of these prizes is a minimum value of $50 with a very sweet grand prize for finishing your throw or larger quilt top. (The quilt does not need to be quilted – just fully pieced together.) And remember, the only way to enter each week's giveaway is to post a picture of your Modern Fans quilt progress using #ModernFansSA on Instagram. You must have a public Instagram profile to participate.
Prizes will be awarded at the end of the week at 4:00pm Central Time. (eg. Week 1 entries will be open at 12:00 a.m. CT on Sept. 12 and officially end at 1:00 p.m. on Tues, Sept. 18. The prize for that week will be announced at 4:00pm.) Weekly winners will be picked randomly, however contestants must have completed the prompt for that specific week in order to qualify. More details and guidelines will be given in each week's blog post, so it is important to read each one to make sure your instagram post meets the qualifications. The schedule of sponsored prizes is subject to change.
- Sept. 12 - Cottoneer - $100 gift certificate
- Sept. 19 - The QuiltMate and Sulky Thread - 1 Large Classic QuiltMate and winner's choice of Cotton + Steel thread pack by Sulky Threads
- Sept. 26 - Fabric Bubb - $50 gift certificate
- Oct. 3 - Oliso - 1 Smart Iron
- Oct. 10 - Fabricworm - $100 gift certificate
- Oct. 17 - Bungalow Quilting & Yarn and Sulky Thread - 3 quilting books full of modern quilt patterns and winner's choice of Cotton + Steel thread pack by Sulky Threads
- Oct. 24 - Stash Fabrics - $50 gift certificate
- Oct. 31 - Sew Shabby Quilting - $50 gift certificate
- Nov. 7 - BERNINA - BERNINA USA has generously agreed to donate a B 350 PE sewing machine!
To win the grand prize of a BERNINA sewing machine you must finish a throw quilt top or larger. You must post a full shot of your quilt top to Instagram using #ModernFansSA during Week 9 before the deadline. You most follow both @suzyquilts and @berninausa.
ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older. The following individuals are not eligible to enter or win a prize: employees, contractors, directors, and officers of BERNINA of America, LLC. (“Sponsor”), its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies, and the web design, advertising, fulfillment, legal, judging, administrative, and Sweepstakes agencies involved in the administration, development, fulfillment, and execution of this Sweepstakes (collectively, “Sweepstakes Parties”), and the immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, and spouse or “step” of each) and those living in the same household of each such person (those persons whether related or not who live in the same residence for at least three months during the twelve-month period preceding the start date of the Sweepstakes). SWEEPSTAKES PERIOD: The Sweepstakes begins November 7, 2018, at 12:00 a.m. Central Time (“CT”) and ends on November 13, at 1:00 p.m. CT (the “Sweepstakes Period”). The Application server is the official clock for this Sweepstakes.
How to Sew with Different Fabrics!
Ooh I can’t wait! How fun!
So excited for the sew-a-long!
yay!!!
I’m in. Chomping at the bit to choose fabric!
That’s my favorite part too!
This is going to be awesome! Can’t wait 🙂
I am really hoping to join this one. I do have a question though. Will we still be eligible to win the prizes if we live outside the USA?
I believe so, especially since a lot of the prizes are gift certificates. I will double check this week with the other sponsors to solidify their policy on international shipping. Great question!
Following this. Canadian here!
I’m so looking forward to this QAL and gaining more sewing experience with curves. Thanks for doing this.
Yes, I’m nervous about sewing curves (even though I have an ample supply of my own). Grateful to learn together. Excited about having a finished quilt top (and maybe a prize, but mostly a finished quilt top!)
I’m in. Can’t wait to pick the fabric~
I”m in! so pumped thanks Suzy for securing prizes and leading the Sew Along!
I am thrilled and have put the word out to my quilting friends hoping they’ll do it too!
This sounds so fun!
Yay I’m so excited for this! One of my first quilts was your mod melon one – I had no idea I ‘should’ have been scared of curves as a beginner. Weirdly the thing I’m struggling with on your list of supplies is finding a 7 &1/2” square ruler in the uk, seems to be lots of places sell 6 &1/2 but not 7. I’ve still plenty of time to find one though!
I am in! Thank you for doing the sew a long!
Okay…this might be just the kind of accountability I need to finally make a quilt for our queen size bed! And I’ve been literally drooling over the new AGF gathered fabric so I think we have a winner… I’m so excited to learn how to do curves and make something for us! Can’t wait to see the fabric requirements!!
LOOKING FORWARDS IN AUSTRALIA
I’m so excited for this sew-along! It’s my first one. I already ordered the plastic templates sheets and the 7 1/2″ square ruler! Thank you Suzy!
Yay!! I think it’s going to be a lot of fun!
I’m in! on my new sewing machine!
Oh fun!
Sounds like fun. How much will the pattern cost?
$13 🙂
This quilt is gorgeous, I’m in! 🙂
I’ve already picked the fabric I’m just waiting for measurements!!!
Hey Suzy! If we have the propeller pattern from way back when. . .how different is this pattern? 🙂
Modern Fans includes the 3 templates in the Propeller pattern, plus 2 more for the Asymmetrical blocks. This pattern will also include more sizes: king, queen/full, twin and an 18″ pillow.
Yaaaaay!!! I’m totally IN! I made the propeller quilt, but I traced about 2 templates before I was over it…so I used my band saw to cut a peoce of Plexi I had laying around and it worked like a dream with a tiny royalty cutter 😂😂 so, I’m excited to add to my plexi creations haha
Oh my gosh you are hilarious! Also veeeery impressive!
I’m in, but question. Is there a a decoder for which fabrics go where? i.e, background, vs fan, vs …
PS – Saw you at The Quilt Show taping. Everyone should be sure to watch for this one. Very inspirational
Thanks, Pamela! Yes, there are little color swatches next to each of the Colors 1-5. I’ll post another picture with a schematic to make it a bit more clear.
What fabrics did you use? I’m on the fence about starting but my brother loves the one you and Scrap have on IG. I’d love to do it for him with those fabrics—
I’ll post about all of the fabrics I used on Thursday. I’ll try to link to them to make it even easier 😉
Thank you for adding the fabric requirements! I’m a new-ish quilter, so my stash isn’t even big enough to be called a “stash” yet. LOL Knowing what I need ahead of time means I might be able to get everything in time to join in!
This pattern is awesome. Can’t wait to start!
So excited! I’ve already chosen my fabric. 😍
Have decided what fabruc I’ll use so now just waiting to be able to download the pattern so I can get myself organized for the starting going. 🙏🏻 Looking forward to getting my curves going. 😍
Looking forward to it! If we do a different size (like the baby quilt), will the weekly requirements list how much we should make since there are less blocks?
Can we join the quilt along with the Propeller pattern, or do we need to get the Modern Fans pattern?
You can make any variation of Modern Fans during the sew-along. The win the grand prize, however, you must have made a throw quilt or larger. Check out this blog post to see a few more variations https://suzyquilts.com/modern-fans-quilt-pattern-video-tutorial-included/
I’m going to do it! I’m a new-ish quilter (I’ve completed 3 small quilts so far, but all straight lines)… I’m intimidated by the curves but excited to try it out with support built in. I love the community idea of a QAL! Thanks for doing it. 😊
You can do it!!
What?! Best news I have heard since all day every day kindergarten!! I am IN
I am going with the zen kit and chambray backing.. So many options in choosing fabrics but i absolutely love the softness of the zen colors and fabrics..can’t wait for the kit to arrive and the sew along to begin..fun!
Cool I just caved and got the pattern and am going to do the QAL. I need that little bit of motivation right now and I love this quilt…bonus!
I’m in! Bought my fabric already and this is going to be my first quilt larger than a throw! I decided to make a queen size!!
I really want to do this but will be on a trip for 10 days at the end of September. Can I still play along and just catch up when I can?
You sure can! The live video demos I record in Facebook will always be available to watch, and if you don’t mind doing some catch up sewing, you can still win the weekly prizes as long as you post progress during that week. TO win the grand prize, you just need to post a photo of a finished throw or larger quilt top on the final week. You could even sew a little ahead of time and have posts ready. 😉
Great timing to get a quilt finished for a Christmas gift! I’m in and can’t wait. Plus it will be first quilt with curves so I get an adventure as well 🙂
How literal do our instagram photos need to be in order to qualify for the prizes each week? For example, when it says “chain piece the strips together.” Do we literally need to have a picture of the chaining or can we have more fun with it?
Great Question! Your photos don’t have to be exactly literal, but some progress needs to be happening. If you are posting relevant content about the Sew-Along and using the hashtag, you will be entered.
I’m a newbie and so excited to try this!! : )
Can we size up to 9″ blocks? I’d like my throw size to be 72×72″ when finished, and i already have the 9.5″ ruler. Will we still be eligible for prizes if we size up and will there be any hints in the pattern about how to do that or will I need to figure out new template sizes by myself? Thanks for hosting this!! The first time I learned to sew curves was with your Hills quilt pattern and I love sewing them!! 🙂
Hey Rachel, you can definitely still participate in the sew-along. The only tip I know to offer is to scale your templates up proportionately and then trim them to 9.5″. Try scaling up by 30%. That should get you pretty close. You will have to tile the templates or print them on larger paper than 8.5″ x 11″.
Okay, thank you! I think I’ll keep them the 7″ size but do a modified twin for a finished size of 70×70.
I just came across this – I can’t wait!! Going to purchase the pattern now!
Got the pattern this morning but cannot join up to the sewalong….apparently my email is invalid. Does that mean I am invalid? Too old to be invalid, help
Hi Rosie, Are you getting an invalid message when you try signing up for the newsletter? I can add you manually if that would help. Just send me an email at suzy@suzyquilts.com and I will do everything for you. To join in on the sew-along all you need to do is make a throw sized Modern Fans quilt. To win prizes, there is a bit of involvement on Instagram, but you don’t need to do that to be apart of the sew-along.
Wow, this went faster than I thought. Once I got the curves down I breezed through.
I didn’t freak out either. You were right Suzy. I had to make all my blocks slightly smaller because I believe I messed up the “B” template and didn’t have the 1″ square correct. At any rate it turned out ok and will make a nice gift to someone when its totally done. The next question is the quilting part. Any particular type of quilting required or do we just do our own thing?
Ohhhh I’ll try, but my english is very badly (I’m Swiss, but I live in France)
It’s a beautiful and fun idea
Do you plan to lead this sew along again?
I don’t have plans to as of now.
Cannot wait…this strange year has given me more time in the sewing room..