Announcing The Heart of America Quilt Along!

Oh, say, do you see… it's another fun quilt along!  So I have been doing quilt along's with Fat Quarter Shop for around 10 years now and since I am also a full time longarm quilter I don't have a ton of extra time, but when I saw this quilt I knew I had to make time!!  There is just something super striking about that ring of stars and I really needed a new Red, White, and Blue quilt to go with my patriotic table runner. 

I made the table runner below back in 2021 using a free Fat Quarter Shop pattern called "Wave your Flag" so some of the fabrics are no longer available, but I pulled some new ones that really work well for my new Heart of America Quilt.  Wait until you see both of them together!! 

Here are the fabrics that I am using for my quilt: 

Background:  3 yards Confetti Cotton Songbird 
White Stars: 1 yard  Dapple Dot White Yardage 
Navy: 2 yards Shabby Navy
Red: ​2 yards Shabby Cherry
Binding: 1 yard Star Spangled Red Star  

Free Pattern:  Heart of America Pattern

​Please keep in mind as you order fabric.  Mine is 60x60 since I left off the final top and bottom borders shown in the pattern.

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 The Heart of America four-part quilt along pays homage to the land we love and as a bonus, the pattern meets the size and design requirements to be a Quilt of Valor finishing at 60.5" x 70.5".  The Heart of America Quilt was designed by Fat Quarter Shop featuring the Old Glory Collection by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics shown below, so you grab the full fabric kit and backing available on the Fat Quarter Shop website if you would like your quilt to match the one Kimberly made.   Although the Heart of America Quilt Kit and Backing Set sold out at Fat Quarter Shop, there are still Fat Eighth bundles of Old Glory in stock, and lots of other patriotic collections that would look great! 

• 1.25″ Half Square Triangle Paper by Triangles on a Roll 
• 3.5″ Half Square Triangle Paper by Triangles on a Roll ​

• Free Pattern:  Heart of America Pattern​

​Right-click the badge above to download and share to show you’re participating in The Heart of America Quilt Along.  #HeartofAmericaQAL

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Week 1 - Star & Heart block 

I decided I wanted my heart to have my aqua background fabric in the center to tie everything together so I changed the pattern a little, if you would like to do this too here are the cutting instructions: 

Week 2 - Quilt Center

The backing fabric that I picked out has been out of stock for a few weeks, so I got a little behind, but the Cook Book Denim 108" was just perfect for my quilt so I had to wait.  If you are interested in checking out this great wide backing here is the link 

I loaded my quilt on the Handi Quilter Forte and got myself a new panto called Star Swirls and had such a fun Saturday!  I used Glide 60wt White thread with Pellon 80/20 batting and I totally love how it turned out!  What do you think? 

To participate all you have to do is gather your supplies, download the FREE pattern, and follow the order of the pattern to stay on schedule! You can find all the instructions for the blocks in the pattern, and comment here on the blog if you have any questions.
#HeartOfAmericaQAL #GinaTell #ThreadGraffiti

Here are some friends sewing along too, tap for inspiration:

• Becca, Sugar Sand Quilt Co., (@sugarsandquilter)
• Colleen, Stitching with the Sisterlies (@stitching_with_the_sisterlies)
• Gina Tell, Thread Graffiti, (@gina_tell_threadgraffiti)
• Kate, Katie Mae Quilts, (@katiemaequilts)
• Pat Sloan, (@quilterpatsloan)

SCHEDULE:
Stars and Heart Block Week 1, March 5
Quilt Center Week 2, March 12
Inner and Middle Borders Week 3, March 19
Outer Border, Rectangle Border, and Finishing Week 4, March 26

Thanks SEW much! 
​Gina