Hoop Quilts Pattern now available. (PDF Download or the Printed Pattern)

Hello hello. It's Week #3 of the Hoop Quilt Along. We're letting this project marinade nicely over the course of five weeks. How's the pace so far? Doing ok? Last week, we kicked off sewing by making half-square triangles (HSTs). I bet most of you were chomping at the bit to figure out how you will arrange those HSTs. This week we will choose our HST center arrangement and sew those Drunkard's Path curves together.

To join the HoopQAL, go here (to get the Free Coloring Sheet) and get the Pattern here. (PDF Download or the Printed Pattern)
(It's never too late to join in btw.)

HOOP QUILT ALONG RECAP

Intro Post

Week 1 Gathering Supplies and Choosing Fabric

Week 2 Half-Square Triangles

Week 3. DRUNKARD'S PATH BLOCKS

HST ARRANGEMENTS

I find there are 2 different types of quilt personalities: those who cut all their pieces up front and those who cut as little as possible to get sewing. I am the latter quilt personality... so if you are like me, this week I needed to cut out Templates A, B, and C before I could get going. The templates vary based on the hoop size you intend to make, so be sure to pay attention to your correct template size.

With my templates cut out, I began to play with the center arrangement of the HSTs. My favorite part!! I absolutely love sitting down on my floor to turn these HSTs every which way I can think of. Here are some of the combos I came up with for my hoop. Check the HALF-SQUARE TRIANGLE PLAY section at the end of the pattern for more ideas. The possibilities are endless!

After choosing your favorite arrangement (I chose the lower right pic since I have not made that particular combo before), it's time to sew the B and C Templates to make the pie shape part of the Drunkard's Path block.

It's so fun to watch the circle take shape with patchwork inside it. Once you have the QUARTER CIRCLE UNITS together, it's time to sew those curves. See it before you sew it: There are many methods for sewing curves. If you are not familiar with curves, you can watch the video tutorial below to see the details. I love this skill. Practice and patience go a long way. If you can master curves, it adds a lot of possibility to your quilty projects. I would suggest practicing on scraps prior to using your real fabrics if you have never sewn curves before. It will help you visualize how it comes together.

SQUARE UP
Be sure to trim your Drunkard's Path blocks and square them up after sewing. The units sew together so much better when they are squared up prior to piecing and it will help your circle from looking wonky.

Here are my blocks all sewn up. That's all for this week! Let's stop and take breather.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I left any details out. Remember to share! #hoopquilt #hoopquiltalong