Voyage Quilt Sew Along
Welcome! Welcome to the start of another fantastic sew along! The Voyage quilt pattern is great for beginners because it only uses two different pieced blocks rotated and repeated to form a dynamic design. Trust me when I say this quilt looks much more complicated than it actually is.
If you have enjoyed our past sew alongs, than get excited for more great tips, videos, community inspiration and support, and of course, PRIZES! These blog posts will always be available to you in the Sew Along tab, so if something comes up and you need to push pause on the sewing for a while, no worries! You know where to find us.
The above Voyage throw quilt was made by Courtney Rae Richards.
Voyage Sew Along Main Points
- Who: You! Us! Anyone who wants to participate can join. There is no official sign-up, but lots of different ways to participate. Read below for more details.
- What: We will make a throw Voyage quilt. You can purchase the PDF pattern here.
- Where: Everything is online. Sew along updates will be posted on this blog and, on Instagram and in the Suzy Quilts Patterns Facebook group.
- When: March 30 - May 18, 2021
- Why: Follow along with the hashtag (#VoyageQuiltSA) on Instagram and see what hundreds of other quilters are making. It's really inspiring! Plus there are prizes... (more on that below).
The above Voyage throw quilt was made by Maggie Pascoe.
What Does a SQ Sew Along Look Like?
If you participated in our other community sew alongs, this process will look very similar. In a nutshell, a SQ 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 (in this case, Voyage) over a set amount of time. We have weekly "assignments" and post our progress online for everyone to see!
Trending patterns!
Quilt Patterns
Quilt Patterns
Quilt Patterns
Quilt Patterns
Quilt Patterns
Quilt Patterns
Quilt Patterns
Quilt Patterns
Quilt Patterns
In the end you will have a finished Voyage throw quilt. Yes, you can make whatever size you want, but this timeline will be assuming you're making the throw size.
The above Voyage throw quilt was made by Nuria of Fabric Stork.
The really exciting thing is that if you're new to quilting, there is lots of support and places to ask questions. But even if you have been quilting for ages and always have at least four different projects going at once, a sew along is the best way to stay motivated and accountable. We'll know if you don't finish! 😉
You will find others chiming in with pics, their tips and fabric inspo through Instagram, Facebook and the comments on this very blog.
The above Voyage baby quilt was made by Isabel Kelly.
The Voyage Sew Along Includes:
- A NEW host! That's right folks, I, Suzy Williams, am on the verge of having baby #2 so the fabulous and incredibly capable SQ Communications Manager, Laura Hopper, will be taking the lead on this sew along. I'll still pop in now and again (based on how well this new child of mine sleeps) so I won't be completely absent.
- Prizes! Every week by posting your progress to Instagram and using #VoyageQuiltSA you will be entered into that week's giveaway. Each week is sponsored by an amazing company, to award one lucky person a free prize! You must have a public Instagram profile to participate.
- Skill sharing. The great thing about sharing knowledge is that you can gather everyone's opinions and then form your own! I bet we'll all come out on the other side with new skills.
- Support. My fellow sewers, this sewing community is here for you! Here’s what support for this sew along will include:
- A weekly blog post explaining your "homework assignment," any helpful tips, and what Laura is working on. A new post will go live every Tuesday afternoon around 4:00pm Central (SQ HQ is in Chicago...so that time zone).
- A weekly newsletter will go out the following Saturday morning reminding you about the 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 Laura can answer herself. 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 Voyage Sew Along it will be a great place for questions about the Voyage pattern and sew along specifics. Laura will also be posting videos and Live Q&A sessions in both the FB group and on Instagram.
- Live video events on both Instagram and Facebook. These will be most Wednesdays at 7:30pm CST for the duration of the sew along. Check in here on Tuesdays and on social media to see if there will be a video that week.
The above Voyage baby quilt was made by Kelly-Anne Bernardy.
Voyage Quilt Sew Along Schedule
- Week 1, March 31: Pick fabric and gather supplies
- Week 2, April 7: Cut fabric
- Week 3, April 14: Make HSTs - video tutorial
- Week 4, April 21: Make HRTs and finish HST overflow if more time is needed - video tutorial
- Week 5, April 28: Chain piece blocks together - video tutorial
- Week 6, May 5: Assemble blocks
- Week 7, May 12: Sew blocks into rows to make the finished quilt top; discuss quilting ideas
How to Participate
By signing up for the Suzy Quilts newsletter you will get updates on the sew along. After that, your level of involvement is completely up to you.
- 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.
- Surf #VoyageQuiltSA on Instagram to see what others are making and use the hashtag yourself when posting pics to win prizes!
The above Voyage throw quilt was made by Brittney Frey.
Sew Along Supplies
- The Voyage quilt pattern
- Fabric as required by the pattern (see below)
- Basic Quilting Supplies
- (Optional) Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmers ruler – Click here for a tutorial video on using this ruler!
- (Optional) rotating cutting mat
- (Optional) tailor's clapper
Sponsors & Prizes
Each week we will go into more detail about these prizes and our wonderful sponsors, but here's a taste of what to look forward to! And don't forget that the only way to enter to win a prize is to use #VoyageQuiltSA on Instagram AND have a public profile. If you only have a private profile, you can create a public one just for this sew along and then delete it afterwards.
- Week 1: Cottoneer - $50 gift certificate AND Noodle and Bee - winner's choice of quilt t-shirt
- Week 2: Broadway Fabrics - $100 gift certificate
- Week 3: Aurifil - thread set AND Modern American Vintage - handmade tailor's clapper
- Week 4: Traveling Dye Co. - winner's choice of hand-dyed fabric bundle
- Week 5: Fabric Stork - fat quarter bundle
- Week 6: Lamb and Loom - $100 gift certificate
- Week 7: Lavender Fields Co - free longarm quilting on a throw quilt
Seeing sew-alongs like this always makes me want to join but I know I can’t participate. I have rheumatoid arthritis and know my body won’t let me finish them within the time limit. Even quilt-in-a-day quilts takes me weeks to do.
It makes me feel sad, aggravated, and excluded because I won’t be able to do the big finish showing of what I’ve made at the same time as all the other quilters that have participated.
Hi Mea, thank you so much for sharing your story so thoughtfully. I can see how sew along timelines can be frustrating and empathize with your feelings. We’d love to help out if we can! Would you be interested in us helping to pair you with a quilter who would volunteer to cut your fabric for you? If that is something that would help, send me an email at laura@suzyquilts.com and we can talk more! I’d also love to hear any ideas you have to make our sew alongs more accessible. Our goal is always to be as inclusive as possible, and we are even working with a chronic health advocate on a future post with tips that you might really like. Keep an eye out for that! Thank you again, and I hope to hear from you soon!
Laura
SQ Communications Manager
(PS – Cool profile picture!)
If you have been following previous sew alongs, then you know that people sometimes don’t participate in a timely fashion, nor do many ever finish close to time!! Many of us finish months after the sew along is over, because of course, LIFE HAPPENS!! Please join whichever sew along you might think you would like to do. Take as much time as you would want. Post your project when you are complete, and we will celebrate right along with you, like we do so many others. I have joined two sew alongs and did not finish either project “on time”.
Agree!!! We all can have challenges. If you can’t do somethings, try to adapt… but don’t make yourself unhappy . Enjoy each moment and find what works for you!
Good morning. I participated in the last sew-along, as a first-timer, and greatly enjoyed it. I am looking forward to this next one! have the Voyage pattern, and for two of the quilts pictured, I could find a list of the fabric colors used. How can I find a list of the colors for those included on pages 10-14 of the pattern? Thanks!
I’ve never done a sew along before, but I really want to join this one!
I have a couple of questions:
Can you enter to win a prize if you don’t live in the US?
And if a fabric requirement says fat quarter, will a piece that is 12” x WOF suffice? I’m new to quilting and haven’t quite figured out the standards for fabric measurements yet. Where I live the shops often sell bundles of precut pieces that are 30cm x WOF, and I was wondering if that would work for this quilt.
I’m glad you’re excited! Here are some answers:
– Yes, you can enter to win the prizes even if you don’t live in the US. Each week we will specify if the prizes are open internationally.
– Yes, 12″ x WOF will be enough fabric if you wish to use that instead of a fat quarter.
– 30cm x WOF translates loosely to 12″ x WOF, so you will have enough.
Each week in this sew-along it was specified if the prize was available internationally or not, and six out of seven weeks it was NOT available internationally. Of course, that didn’t mean you couldn’t enter to win the prize, you just had zero chance of winning as you weren’t eligible to actually WIN the prize.
Advice based on my observations – if you don’t live in the US don’t plan your participation in sew-alongs for the prizes. If your motivation is fueled by possibility of winning something, you are frequently going to be disappointed.
Hi Suzy,
I’m a quilter from Australia, do you ever provide fabric measurements in metric? I’m keen to join in but am worried I might not get the right amount of fabric. Thanks!
That’s not something I have done, but I’m noting it for the future. Thanks for the great idea!
I’m so excited about participating in my first sew along. I’ve only been quilting for 5 months and this will be quilt number 3 😊 I have a feeling compared to my first 2, this’ll be way better 👌
Do we need to wash the fabric?
If you are using fat quarters, don’t prewash. You don’t want any shrinkage to occur before cutting.
Hello, I’ve never made a quilt before. Is it necessary to have a walking foot for the machine to able to do the pattern? Many thanks
Welcome to the wonderful world of quilting! A walking foot is helpful during the actual quilting process because it helps to move the bulky layers of a quilt through the sewing machine. When you are just piecing fabric together for a quilt top, like we are doing here in this sew along, there is no need for a walking foot. Most likely the foot that came standard on your machine will work great. Many quilters do find a 1/4″ “Patchwork” foot to be helpful because you can use the edge of the foot as a seam allowance guide. Standard quilts are pieced with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
Another option ff you don’t want to do your own quilting, is to hire a longarm quilter. There are lots of them who are happy to do that for you! Here are a couple articles with more information on that:
– The Ultimate Guide to Longarm Quilters in the USA and Canada
– Hiring a Longarm Quilter: An In-Depth Guide
I’m really interested in making a colour pattern like the example made by Maggie Pascoe but I’m not sure how I would figure out the fabric requirements when the background colours are different. Is there a way to figure this out? The grandsons love the way the colours move up the quilt. It’s a perfect design to take the boys from a young boy to adult.
To make one like Maggie, use a dark navy fabric as the Background and go with the multi-color version using fat quarters. Her background fabric is actually just one color, but the sunset gradient of her fat quarters gives the quilt lots of exciting movement!
Ahh, ok makes sense. Thank you for clarifying.