Break It Down...Process Quilt Along 

I can totally appreciate your approach to this, or any quilt. You remind me of my sister, who is a math loving person. I, on the other hand, am a fly by the seat of my pants, style quilter. I may actually attempt this pattern, but my approach will be worlds away from yours. That doesn't mean that I won't champion your finished product. There is more than one road to Rome. Love your content, Amy, so keep on sharing!

I love this video, definitely something I need! I haven't decided whether I'm sewing along yet. If I do, it'll be brights, I have a pattern/technique in mind, but I think it's more of a long term project - I'm feeling overwhelmed. I'd love to hear/see how you incorporate the Accuquilt, I have no experience with it.

Great suggestions, and thank you for including the actual quilting in the plan - we can't all include quilting by credit card in our budget, so the "quilt as desired" step can be the most time intensive.

Please do a video on labels!!!! Pleezzzz Very good advice you give.

Read the pattern?!? What, next you’re going to want me to make a test swatch for my knitted sweater…

Great suggestions! When in doubt, consult the cat. Just kidding. Your approach makes really good sense! 🐈

I'm doing a stack and whack kaleidoscope in bright colors. I've never done one before.

Do you use project boxes? These have been extremely helpful for me, all the materials etc in one place (label included). I took a FMQ class and the instructor said decide the quilting upfront. I will be watching using bright colors (crayola) are my go to. Have a great day!

Hey, Amy! Assembling by rows is definitely NOT my idea of fun. I try to build in sections. The way you described how you plan to determine the layout of the blocks reminds me of @Dave’s Craft Room, since generally arranges his blocks on the design board, building various sized sections, and filling in the gaps with plain or pieced blocks/strips. Kate @The Last Homely House stepped a little out of her comfort zone and used that method she; she created her 2023 advent calendar quilt. I love it. It’s so freeing! 😮 Writing in a book!?😮 Jenny Doan told a story about one of her workshops. One of the participants was using a PEN to checkoff each step in her piecing process. Jenny-being the sweet person she is- suggested that the woman use pencil, so she could erase it when she was done. The woman then picked up her iron and moved it across the page, and the marks disappeared. That was when Jenny learned another great use of a Frixion pen. I learned that day as well. I now do all of my planning for quilts-and practically everything else-with a Frixion pen,. A mistake in a calculation? Pick up the iron. Line drawn too long or in the wrong place on graph paper? Yep, there too! Tax time? Always use a Frixion pen for the rough copy. I now use my sewing space in the corner of my little sunroom as my general workstation, and I always have my iron at the ready! Loving your pdf! Looking forward to your subsequent installments! Thanks, Amy! Muskoka ON 🇨🇦

Oh, wow! You articulated and executed your process beautifully! So much great information, but I shouldn't have watched this right before I turned out the light because my brain is so busy thinking about the quilt process, I can't sleep. 😂 Tonight's video was like a Master Class! I applaud you, professor! I just pieced 3 large blue and green quilts. Those 2 bins wouldn't close and I fell in love with that color combination. Those bins are still pretty full so I'm thinking there may be a whole lot of blue and green geese in my future. 😉

You approach projects like I do...and we're both lefties!!!!!!! Planning and visualising is so very different to execution, hence my hundreds of quilts waiting to be made 🤩and webbing the top is essential for me. xxx

Last 6 quilts I had quilted I had the long armer use a circle pattern... Do not know why but those circles make me happy ... so I go for it.

Great video, straightforward. I play a lot with fabric colours, until I’m happy. I don’t tend to think too deeply about construction I use the fastest or easiest method when cutting and piecing. I very rarely write notes, but I think I should for future reference.might make the process quicker. Food for thought cheers Amy xx

lol my daughter and i were just talking about and looking at this pattern

I am not trying to do a hundred quilts but I am trying to get through at least one of the old magazines from the 80s. Current quilt: Morning Star pg 4 Stitch 'N Sew Quilt Jan./Feb. 1987. I figured out if I make myself templates out of cardboard. Write out the piecing instructions. Then look at my fabric to see what will work. I love hearing about your process.

Hello Beautiful! I thought that was my cat who’s always looking to be allowed down the basement! Ha ha. Made me smile 😊 I think I will just be watching along for now. I have way too many projects going on at the moment and not enough hours in the day. Good tips though.

Hi Amy. That was a great video, and I’ll bet you worked hard on it! Well done. That’s pretty much how I make a quilt, but never really thought about it. I still picked up good tips to apply to my quilt-making process. When I do get into trouble or get stuck, I think it’s because that one of those steps in the process wasn’t thought through or was out of order. Thank you so much, and I’ll be downloading that PDF! C

Love love love your process. Much more thought than I've been giving it and I'll be tweaking my process for sure thank you very much! I'll be joining in late but watching along - this week and the next became all about tree removal at my house. SO sore each day from hard labor prepping yard and moving everything from old shed under trees and moving benches and delicate plants we don't want damaged. Health not great so I feel like every ounce of strength and will is being used up by this project. Next week the crew and crane arrive to take huge trees from backyard over house so I'm thinking I might be a bit stressed. Thinking is about all I can muster, so I'm thinking my palette will be "pick a main fabric from my favorites bin" with some "add a bunch of stuff that looks like it will work" from my my blenders and scraps. Next - pick or make up a pattern from my "make these quilts" file. OK. My brain is happily exploding with ideas:)

Well I think, which in itself is a problem, I will go with something out of my comfort zone. I have a fat quarter and I need to find a suitable pattern before next week. Fingers crossed. Oh this fat quarter has been around for over a year can you say procrastination?? Have a fun day❤️

If I were sewing along, I'd probably use an autumn color pallette. I know I would use Deb Tucker's wing clipper tool to make the flying geese. I usually plan ahead for binding, but not the backing or quilting design. The label is always hard for me. I like your idea of using an extra block.

As an overthinker who also suffers from demand avoidance, I'll have to download your PDF to see how it'll help me!

Some excellent advice, Amy. I often "make it up as I go along", which can work, but can also lead to a lot of frustration when, say, I can't find a border fabric to go with the rest of the quilt top that's already pieced. Planning the actual quilting from the start is definitely advice I should be taking! Thanks for sharing your process.

100 quilts is very ambitious! I’m going to be away from home from Mid January to beginning of March with no access to a sewing machine. BUT! I’m with you! I can make my plan while away & hit the ground running when I get back. I’m listing 100 quilts today, some are not started, some are partially pieced, some are flimsies. I’d love to finish them all…MORE IN ‘24! Oh, and I’m going to add the Remix project to sew along when back too, I’m going for batiks in the colours of earth, water & sky to reflect where I live 😅. Thanks for being such an entertaining & well prepared inspirational prod! I really need this, the last few years took my spark but I feel it coming back with your encouragement! 🥳

I would use blue,green,purple and a cream background

I think I’m going to pull a layer cake for this (I have so many). I haven’t done charity quilts and I think this a perfect way to jump start. What ACCUQUILT dies are you using for the geese?Will you at some point talk more about labeling. You validate my style of quilting, I love your rebel approach!

Definitely bright and boisterous! 💕

Great advice and printable. I do love a printable! I might not actually sew along, as I have so many UFOs to finish, but I shall listen intently. My pretend quilt will use the rainbow of batik fat quarters I have languishing in a drawer. I also plan to use your printable for all my future planned projects - I can use the reverse side for project notes and information. I hate when I have completed a project and want to make another and remember I changed things in the pattern - but don’t remember what I changed. 😂 I have never followed a pattern precisely with the lone exception of one QAL. I even change up my 3-yard quilts for foster children so I can work within my stash or because I prefer one wide border instead of three narrow ones, etc. It would help me to keep better notes. Enjoying this series already!

My palette is generally bright’s, occasionally autumn colors. Great process, will definitely be trying it. Thanks for sharing.

This is great, thank you! I think my quilt brain works similar to yours 😊

I have downloaded the pattern but, unfortunately, this is not a good time health wise to start a new project for me. Love your advice, and will definitely be following along and hope to be able to start in a couple of months.

It would have been cool to see how you used your die and sew at least one flying goose. Best wishes

I want to use bright blues and dark greys.

still snickering at 'read the pattern' Teeheehee!

Meow!!! 🎉 Great guidance for working with patterns. After a few years of quilting and finishing up so many unfinished projects from modern to antique, I’ve now enjoyed a few mystery quilts and exactly one true pattern. My early experiences revolved around where the project got stuck…and it’s always been something for each different previous quilter. Always solvable. Patterns are indeed different animals. Walking through the process steps that are laid out for you in the pattern is so smart! And easily doable when you actually have a pattern. I’m a big believer in test blocks and I’m not afraid to depart from a pattern. Will probably be using up bright modern and children’s prints from an old stash while playing with fussy cutting for the geese. Thank you Amy!

I'm pretty sure I"d be using a purple palette.

Amy, loved your video. First time watching. Thanks for the “plan”. iWork better knowing,” comes next “. I’m going to follow you but 100 quilts😂so not in my world. I’ll be happy to finish the one I’ve picked up and put down over the past 20 years.

Remixed Geese Pattern by Robert Kaufman.... Could not find the link in your list.....Took me a while but I finally found it on line... Darling YOU talk faster than I can hear especially when I wake in the middle of the night ;-

I love this plan. Organized. I also have sketched out on graph paper the block pieces before I ever touched fabric. Thanks, Amy. I forget labels as well, so I'm going to put that at the top of my list. ¿Question? What type of permanent fabric markers do you like best? I am going to work with golds a d blue on my next quilt. 🎶💐💖

I'd love a label video. I've watched other people's, but would enjoy your input & walk-through. So many of your comments hit home!

I also approach projects the way you do and am another lefty here! Thanks for mentioning the Eleanor Burns FG method --- that's my go to and why I too have to read through a pattern and often reconsider either the fabric reqs or cutting requirements to use it. You are also right about carefully "reading" the color palette and value placements of a quilt. I have a project that is a UFO because I saw it as "scrappy green". However after pulling stuff from my stash and making all the blocks, I realized that the patterned quilt I fell in love with predominated in "yellow-greens" while most of what I had pulled from my stash were "blue-greens". A big difference visually once I laid out the blocks and wondered why it "wasn't working". While I know I can eventually make it work (or more likely, adjust my expectations), it has sat undone for years now because of that and having to now spend extensive "think time" at the design wall when I'd prefer to be in the execution stage. It should also be noted that even with all the planning, it helps to leave yourself open to the possibility of things still changing. Even the best laid plans can wind up needing adjustment down the road and one needs to prepare oneself for that so as not to get thrown off track by it.

i have been in love with this quilt...idea for this quilt (will draft it for my needs) for some time, i think i want to use a charley harper fq bundle w/panel (for the quilt back) and fussy cut the bundles which are ALL hero prints for the triangles, background probably solids picked out from the fabric line. letting that marinate, until i am sure.

I'm bad about labeling my quilts. I'm not making this one with you as I have many quilts I need to finish. I look forward to watching your tips! If I were to do this, my colors would be bright.

Welcome back, "and I make things." I've been waiting for you!

Red, white and blue.

I have a FQ pack of crazy polkadots, so I'm planning to use that and add some more crazy, bright colors to save my eyes from a total field of dots - some stripes and lines in the same colors. We'll see how it goes - it will at least be bright! I'm going to use the same pattern that you are since I've never made an entire quilt of flying geese, so that will be something new!

Excellent video & love the handout! Your process makes so much sense - thanks for sharing it 💕

If I were quilting along I would choose blues and purples..

This was great!

Your selvage technique is amazing! What a great help, one that I never even thought of.

I love, love, love the be kind to yourself. I think we miss this step way too often. Great video.

Going to try your advice! Thank You😊

What fabric pen do you use for your labels?

thx

What did she mean by making 9 patches?

Wasn't sure if I was going to like miss amy, but to my surprise, man o man, I love her!!!

OMG! I was so happy when you said you didn't like the row by row construction method. I was taught to do sections when I took a beginner class at my LQS many years ago. I truly dislike sewing those long seams. I love the look of more than one border on a quilt but that can be too many trips around that big perimeter. And, doing a tiny section of the Declutter Challenge about patterns I found one pattern with all my notes written in for cutting with the Easy Angle 😂😂.

I totally get how your process works great for you and makes things more efficient. I tend to work more like "I know the steps till that point (e.g. assembling the blocks) but after that I have to see the result and decide on the next step (e.g. the fabric choice for the set in triangles)". So it evolves during the process but surely slows the process down. Still that is what works best for me. And during the previous steps I often already start to pull options so I do not have to decide from everything but a little curated range of options. Anyhow I follow your process and will surely find interesting bits and pieces I might use, too 😊

Can you show us how to use the color cubes specifically for quilting?

Still Deciding on a palate. Need to look at my stash. Trying to use up what I have, but that may change😉

Please let the kitty in.

I am not quilting along but If I were it would be bright and cheery and just a little wild. I fly by the seat of my pants. If I had to decide everything first, I would never start. LOL... we are all different - just like quilts - and that is fine.

Great advice as I tend to start multiple projects and end up with lots of UFOs. I am looking forward to your 100 quilts this year. . I'm definitely a bright and bold colour palette.

Great ideas. Thinking ahead is good. Thank you!

Amen, preach it sister! I hate doing rows too!! Why would you do it that way??!!?? I'm a chuncker!

I so love this video! After several years away from my sewing machine, I am setting up a new sewing space and jumping into quilting. I love your ideas as they include several things I had never thought of before! Yes, I want to avoid UFOland! 😂❤

Great video Amy. I don’t know how often my quilts have landed in ufo land because I can’t make a quilting plan. You always present your ideas in a fun articulate way. Thank you for the pdf, it will give me something to think about when making my next quilt plan

This sounds great for many, but in my studio, I start with a basic plan in my head, but it is a more holistic plan. Then I listen to the boss...the quilt. I don't have to consciously do this, the quilt simply talks to me. I love this method. I use the word "method" so that others will begin to understand, but I don't think of it that way at all. One of the very wonderful things about quilting is that it simply happens along the way. I love these journeys! Do they always thrill me in the end? No, but I find that the more I listen to the quilt, the more joy there is in the end. Isn't it great that we can all have different ways, and they all turn out so lovely! YES!!! No right or wrong--simply JOY!

First, thank you for what you do. I’m still a newbie quilter and have multiple projects sitting around unfinished. Now I understand one of the reasons that got me stuck. Second, thank you for your encouraging sign off. It doesn’t matter what time of day I watch a video. Your words always make me feel better moving forward into the day or after most of the day has passed. They really do have a positive impact! 😊❤️. As for the quilt pattern, I’m considering a muted color scheme with nursery fabrics to donate to a local organization, as well as a high contrast color combo with black, white, red, purple and yellow for my youngest daughter who has multiple visual impairments. Looking forward to next week’s video lesson!!

Wow 100 quilts in a year! How are you planning on getting this done? 2 quilts a week? Or 4 quilt tops for half of the year and quilting binding the rest of the year? What is your plan, I would love to know.

Thank you for this. I have made very few quilts. I like the idea of thinking it all through ahead of time. I will give your plan a try. Still torn between 2 patterns, so I’d better make up my mind.

Mine will be bright and colorful because that’s what makes me smile! I have a Bloc Loc ruler ordered, and my colors all picked out. It’s always the cutting that takes me the longest, so I hope I can stay on schedule.

Why not just take your time and enjoy the process????