The Sweet Home Quilt Along 2021

Hello, friends! It's been way too long and I'm so excited to have just clicked the "+ new post" button after such a long, unexpected blogging hiatus. For the first time since the beginning of this pandemic, I'm home alone with my oldest away for his first year at college, and my other two both back in public school. It took me a few days to adjust and work on a new schedule for myself, but here I am ready to get back into a routine that includes showing up in this spot much more often! And what better timing than now that Sharon Holland and my most recent collaboration is underway, the Sweet Home QAL 2021!

It’s been one week since the official start date of the Sweet Home Quilt Along that began on August 25th, with the first week dedicated to fabric selection and prepping the materials to start making a Sweet Home Quilt. If you're new here or you're just now learning about our Quilt Along, it's not too late to join the more than 1,000 makers that have signed up to sew along with us so far!



Since Sharon is the creator of the Sweet Home quilt pattern, if you'd like to sign up and access the Sweet Home QAL you'll need to visit Sharon Holland Designs, click the "Sew Along" option and sign up to be able to sign in. Once you're in, you'll have access to a Quilt Kit Directory full of amazing Sweet Home quilt kit options exclusive to participating shops, Sharon's weekly quilt along blog posts that will feature a new amazing Giveaway with one of our sponsors, and new video tutorials each week that Sharon is creating to support her Sweet Home pattern! As her co-host I'm excited to share the Sweet Home version I'm making each step of the way throughout the duration of this quilt along!



For a fun way to end each weekly blog post, Sharon and I have lined up special Giveaway prizes that are being generously donated by our list of wonderful sponsors. Each week Sweet Home quilters will comment on Sharon's most recent quilt along blog post for their chance to win. Check out these amazing companies!



For my Sweet Home I'm using the Cozy & Magical Quilt Kit available exclusively at Lady Belle Fabric! This version features prints from both of my new Art Gallery Fabrics collections, Cozy & Magical and Plaid of My Dreams. The color palette of this holiday collection is very sweet and I'm loving these prints paired with AGF's Pure Solid in Blushing for the background. I'm so excited to see how my cozy Sweet Home holiday village comes together!

For Sharon's Sweet Home, she's using her brand new Bookish collection for AGF that should be arriving to shops any day and is also available at Lady Belle Fabric as an exclusive Bookish Sweet Home Quilt Kit option right now! This version will be so perfect for Fall and for any and all book lovers out there!



Last week I cut out all the pieces from my quilt kit and if how they look all chopped up is any indication of how this finished quilt will look, I'm a very happy girl! This step can be a little laborious and for some it may be the smallest sized cuts you've ever used, but with the helpful videos Sharon created to support this step you'll find lots of helpful information, so be sure to check those out!

Once I started sewing over the weekend I remembered how much I absolutely LOVE this pattern and exactly why this is the FIFTH Sweet Home quilt I'll have made! The Log Cabin quilt block is one of my favorites and these adorable house blocks that begin with log cabin centers are so much fun to make!

Each step throughout the quilt block construction process is made easy with chain piecing, a sewing technique that mimics an assembly line where you'll sew piece after piece and then block after bock, continuously feeding your quilt pieces through the machine without cutting your thread in-between each step. Chain piecing is so easy and to show you just how to do it, incase you've never given it a try, Sharon has a new video prepared for you this week!



I chain pieced each step for this week's Log Cabin Block, including the final step of attaching my rooftop pieces to the log cabins to create all ten of my log cabin houses. It was just like adding the lid to a box. I always feel so spoiled by my Janome and extension table whenever I'm chain piecing, it makes it so very easy. I seriously couldn't live this crazy sewing life without my extension table!





Once all ten log cabin houses were chain pieced, I snipped the in-between threads, gave a final good press to each block, and admired the beginnings of my sweet holiday village!







Aren't they cute?! I'm so thrilled with them! Now it's time to head on over to Sharon's blog if you haven't already, to check out her Log Cabin Blocks made with her pretty Bookish fabrics, to make use of the tutorial videos that she created to help makers this week, and to enter our amazing Giveaway with this week's sponsor, Chenille-It! If you’re on Instagram, we’d love to see your Sweet Home quilt progress, so be sure to tag us @maureencracknell and @sharonhollanddesigns and use the #sweethomeqal2021 hashtag when you share!

Thanks for joining us on this fun quilt along, we’re so happy you’re here!

xo Maureen