Small Quilt Sew Along 2023

We're kicking off the 2023 Small Quilt Sew Along today, sewing little 3" x 3" Shoo-fly blocks to make a quilt of your choice. Directions for the block and suggestions for how to set them are in my Facebook group files. (I've also uploaded a file on my website under Shoo Fly Sew Along for those of you not on FB.)

                          

I've always loved little shoo-fly quilts and have made a few using slightly larger blocks. 

If you have my book The Civil War Sewing Circle you may have made the pink and brown quilt. The red and blue one is from my first book, American Doll Quilts. Either would look cute with 3" blocks. They're such happy little blocks!

After making 10 blocks last week I couldn't wait to set them. Yesterday, as I was finishing writing up the directions, I had to stop and make a quick little runner using three of the blocks. You have to admit - these are just too sweet, aren't they? I don't think you can stop at just one. They're such happy little blocks!

So, jump in, download the pattern, then make some blocks in your favorite colors and have a little bit of fun. Look through the examples I included in the file to decide how to set your blocks. 

                  

                               

Some of you have asked me to do the sew along here or on Instagram, instead of Facebook. Sorry to disappoint but FB is the only place to conduct something like this where you can share files, interact and allow others to post photos of their progress and quilts. This is the only reason I do Facebook. I simple cannot do any of that on a blog. And you cannot upload files or post others' photos on Instagram. However, if you are on Instagram, feel free to post photos of your own shoo fly quilts using the hashtags #kathleentracysmallquiltsewalong or  #shooflysewalong.  I would love to see them.

Also, beginning tomorrow, some in my group will be sewing along and making the Soldier's Cot quilt from my book The Civil War Sewing Circle. (See my previous blog post from last week.) If you'd like to join in and have the book, we'll be doing this ONLY in my Facebook group where members can ask questions and share photos.  There's a pattern available in my Etsy shop. for the version I recently made.

If you don't have the book, you can purchase an e-book from Martingale. But only for a short time. Many of  you may have heard that my publisher Martingale/That Patchwork Place is closing soon. This means that they will no longer be publishing or selling books. There will be a huge hole in the quilting industry and we will all miss the wonderful inspiration they provided us for so many years. If you don't have some of my books that are still in print you might want to purchase them while they are still available, and some of the others in e-book format.  I still have copies available of  Schoolgirl Sampler, Small & Scrappy and A Prairie Journey. But once they're gone, they're gone. Even the e-books will no longer be available.  Definitely the end of an era . . . . 

Enjoy your small sewing!