Welcome everyone!
We have been so excited for September to begin so we can get this sew-along started!
As a recap, this is a fun, casual 12 month Instagram based sew-along. You can make as many or as few blocks as you wish. We ask that you share your progress and blocks with the following hashtags and tags: (you can just copy and paste from here!!)
@gatesmountainquilter
@carve_stitch_repeat
If you post with these, it helps make sure we see your beautiful progress, people can find our work all together, and we can add you in for our monthly prizes! We have some super fun Esther Block Sew-along logo stickers just waiting, and some other monthly prizes in the works!
As we advance through the year, most prompts will be focused on specific/different ways to approach fussycutting/focuscutting fabric within the block, but we felt like everyone should dip their toes in gently for this first month, and simply "get acquainted" with the block.
Our September prompt is to: use that piece of fabric you are most excited to cut into.
We have several blog posts about different aspects of focus cutting as well as how to sew up the actual block. If you have questions or need some guidance please reach out to us and we will be happy to help out.
How to post:
Posting so everyone can see your beautiful work requires a public Instagram account . If you post on a private account, only those you allow to follow you will see your blocks. Many people choose to separate their public / sharing accounts from their private personal ones and this is super easy to do by creating a separate profile in Instagram - you can bounce back and forth between these profiles as you use the app. Sara does this - she has a personal account separate from her @gatesmountainquilter account.
A sample post would read something like this: (feel free to copy and edit or totally do your own thing) If you would also like to introduce yourself in your first post, that would be fabulous. We find people make great connections through these sew-alongs.
This is my September block for the #Estherblocksal hosted by @carve_stitch_repeat and @gatesmountainquilter . The prompt for September is to "use the fabric you are most excited to cut into" and I chose ...
My name is ... and I live in .... I have been loving EPP since....
feel free to add any additional hashtags where people will appreciate your block.
Instagram Groups:
Some countries are able to access a new part of Instagram called Instagram Groups. Canada is one of those countries, the USA is not :( - we aren't sure about all that can access. Sara has created an Esther Block Sew-Along group. If you can join, and would like to post there rather than creating a public account, this is also a way to participate. We were hoping it would be the solution to putting everyone's work together, but the country limitations aren't going to make that possible. The group page looks like this:
Respond with Love:
When you see an Esther Block on your feed, celebrate it! Tell the maker something you love about the block, if you see they have missed a tag/hashtag, add it into the comments. Keep the vibes positive and upbeat - this is a learning process and we all learn by doing. Its important to celebrate each other. Go to the hashtags and look at all the posts in one place and let it inspire you to try something a little different next month.
If you are not on Instagram:
Please consider trying it :). But if it is something you are just not going to do, consider sharing in the EPP or Quilting Facebook groups you belong to. We can't guarantee we will see your work, but we expect you will get lots of positive feedback that will encourage you to keep going and trying new things. We are looking to see if we can create a gallery on the website where members can add photos of their blocks. If this works, we will send out a link and instructions in a separate email - hopefully before the end of the month!
A little background on Esther:
We chose the name Esther for this block because it was our mother's middle name. She was a quilter herself and the reason we both quilt today. She grew up in the 50's and our childhood was spent listening to 50's music and watching our parents jitterbug in the kitchen.
Our mother, Natalie Esther Sweetser's high school graduation picture, 1957
We are lucky enough to have one of her skirts from that era.
This aspect of our mother inspired Laura when she was designing the logo for the sew along (she has always had a soft spot for mid-century design). Laura decided to start a new Esther block project to sew during this sew-along and has had fun this summer collecting 50's inspired fabric.
The fabric at the top with the cars and diner booths is the one she is going to cut into for our first prompt!
We are both so excited you have decided to join us in the sew-along. So go, have fun, pick out a fabric that inspires you and share it with the rest of the community on Instagram (don't forget to use those hashtags!)
We can't wait to see what you create!!