Welcome to Week 4 of the Newport Sails Quilt Along! This week we cut and sew the waves.
We all love seeing your progress, so don’t forget to post pictures of your fleet on Instagram using the hashtag #NewportSailsQAL2021 so we can all see your beautiful quilt!
Week 4: Waves
The waves are equally the most satisfying and most stressful part of this quilt! But if you concentrate and go slowly, they come together like magic! The video tutorial will show you exactly how to make the magic happen. In addition check out the photos below for even more helpful tips.
The “M” Rectangle
Before you start cutting the waves, make sure you sew the “M” rectangle on the correct blocks. They go on all the full blocks except for the blocks on the top row that get an Up Wave. See 5 of the pattern for more about the “M” rectangles.
Cutting the up waves
If you made your templates and measure as shown in the pattern, you will have no trouble with cutting these pieces. If you are using the Everyday Curve, make sure the edges are aligned perfectly with the 10″ lines or you could get one side taller than the other as shown in the picture below. If you are stacking 4-6 rectangles and cutting them all at once, and you do it wrong, you’ll be sad! (Don’t ask us how we know!)
To avoid this problem, align the center line on the template with the rectangle and a line on your cutting mat as shown below. This along with aligning with the 10″ marks on the edges will ensure the sides are equal.
Cutting the Down Waves
Since you’re cutting from corner to corner clear to the top edges, there is no trouble getting these correct.
Sewing the Waves
The most important part of sewing these curves (and all Everyday Curves) is the beginning and end. You want to offset the pieces by 1/4″ so you can sew on and off at that ‘V’. That will allow for perfect waves that will join together block-to-block perfectly. Once sewn, press to the waves.
Weekly Video Tutorials
To see this week’s video with more details about cutting and sewing the sails, click here. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notifications every time we post a new tutorial.
Our QAL Progress
We are making the Newport Sails quilt along with you! Each week we’ll chronicle our progress and tell you things we’ve learned along the way.
Jenifer’s Quilt
My waves went really well once I corrected the Up Wave cutting debacle! One thing I did differently from the video is I didn’t measure down 14″, instead I just aligned the ruler to the bottom edge of the block. As long as the blocks are all cut using the same distance, the waves will match! In the end, my blocks measure 10″ x 18″ (9-1/2″ x 17-1/2″ finished). This kept my boats sitting up higher on the down wave blocks.
If you choose to do yours this way, make sure all your blocks are the exact same length before you add the waves. If they are slightly different sizes, cut them all to be the same length as your shortest one. Then you’re good to go.
I did the top row as instructed in the pattern.
Trisch’s Quilt
I Leaving drydock and hitting the waves!
Probably the most terrifying yet satisfying step of this quilt is adding the waves. On the left, I have added the ‘up waves’. On the right I just finished adding the ‘down waves’. If you want your boats to be floating higher on those down waves, just measure further down the block when you add the down wave (not the first row – leave that as is). As long as your measurements are consistent, your waves will match up in the end!
Winner! Winner!
Congratulations to @mizzoupatti! Patti won the Spoolin’ Around quilt kit (shown above) last week!
How to Enter Week 4 Giveaway
This week we have another great giveaway! (Remember, this is for US residents. If you are outside the US, you’ll get a free pdf download from our pattern catalog – or you can pay shipping if you prefer the prize.)
To enter, post a picture of your boats so far and tell us who you’re making this quilt for – a friend, family, or for yourself!
We know that everyone works at their own pace, but we don’t want that to limit your eligibility to enter the contest! So if you haven’t started or are way far ahead, show us and answer the question above. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #NewportSailsQAL2021 so we can all see!
The drawing will be Thursday, September 23. This is a quick turnaround so don’t put off posting!
We’ll draw a random winner during the Instagram Live session at 3 p.m. central. Winners will be notified by direct message on IG.
Pattern Clarifications
Newport Sails was our very first Everyday Curve pattern. Since then we have learned a lot about writing these patterns. Although there are no errors in the pattern you have, there are things that need to be clarified. Those are outlined here.
We’re addressing this today because we know there are some of you who will want to work ahead, which is ok. We just want you to have the info before you cut. We’ll mention these again each week as necessary.
The Template Diagrams p. 6-7. The printer we used at that time couldn’t line up the templates across two pages so we had to break them out awkwardly. If you’re making templates, be sure to trace them joined up at the hash marks.
Fabric Requirements. For the wall hanging, you need 1-1/2 yards for the Background/Sky, NOT 2-1/2 as stated.
Cutting Half Blocks p. 2. The cutting chart is a bit awkward for cutting half blocks. The top measurement is for cutting the top row half blocks and the bottom measurement is for cutting the the rest of the half blocks.
There are no half blocks on the top row for the wall hanging and 1 each for the lap and throw sizes. There are 2 other half blocks for the wall hanging, 3 for the lap, and 4 for the throw.
Cutting the Left-Facing and Right-Facing Blocks. The sailboats are both right facing and left facing, with more facing right.
To get the left-facing blocks, just place your fabric wrong side up and cut at the same time as the right-facing blocks, which are cut right side up.