The Free-Wheeling Single Girl Sew-Along is on again!

Last year more than 800 quilters joined Denyse Schmidt, Amy from Sewtopia and myself for the very first Free-Wheeling Single Girl Sew-Along, and to date there's over 1200 instagram posts and growing as people share their excitement about their finished quilts.

We got such a kick out of the way a wonderful sew-along community blossomed, with quilters from all over the world making new connections. Best of all though was the creativity and enthusiasm displayed, which absolutely blew our minds. 

So many people have reached out to us, wanting us to host another sew-along for Free-Wheeling Single Girl and honestly, how could we resist?

If you already know you want to jump in, you can sign up here.

Here's what some of our lovely 'free-wheelers' had to say last time: 

@woodsews: "Everybody did such great work. I loved that the milestones were achievable and the live feeds were super helpful😘.  I learned so much from everyone who took part and I am loving my finished quilt"  

@visme1: Fantastic!!!!! A fun and achievable sew along! Thank you for the quiltspiration ❤️ 

Do I have to be an expert quilter?

Not at all!

This quilt along is best for folk who have a bit of sewing experience and are comfy sewing a 1/4-inch seam. Adventurous beginners are also welcome!

It is the perfect project for you if you want to try your hand at improv piecing, or are new to sewing curves. Seriously, those rings are a lot of fun to piece and because of their size the curve is easy to stitch. 

Also — we will be sharing lots of tips and video tutorials on techniques to get you over the line. 

How will the sew-along work?

The Free-Wheeling Single Girl Sew-along is like a virtual quilt class that takes place over 8 weeks. There is no cost to join, but you will need to purchase a copy of the pattern.

Just like last time, the sew-along will take place on Instagram and we will be using this hashtag:

#freewheelingsinglegirlsal2019

Make sure you use it when posting about your project so that everyone can see your progress. It is a fabulous way to connect with other quilters and get the most of out the sew-along experience.

Each week we will be sharing design ideas, tutorials, tips and tricks as well as special offers. Best of all it is absolutely free!

Make sure you register so that you get all of the weekly updates delivered straight to your inbox.

Sew-along Facebook group

You might also like to join the optional sew-along Facebook group. It is a closed group, moderated by Denyse, Amy and myself and provides a more intimate space to ask questions and share ideas. 

The group is only open to folk who have registered for the sew-along and the link to join is here.

Will I be able to keep up?

We have carefully crafted the sew-along schedule for a gentle pace.  Sewing is for pleasure and life sometimes gets in the way, so who needs the stress?

You can make whichever size you like, but aim to make at least the baby quilt top over the 6 week sew-along.   

The baby quilt is just 4 rings, which is totally achievable, AND you will even be in the running for the grand prizes. 

The 2019 schedule

Kick-off is on 16 September, 2019 

Week 1 

Start thinking about your quilt design and fabric choices. Make sure you have registered for the weekly emails and have a little brag about it on social media. You might even win something, and that's before we start sewing.  But more about that below.

Week 2

Finish gathering your materials and post a picture of your fabrics.

Week 3

Start piecing your rings.  Aim to make at least 4 arc (ie one ring's worth).

Week 4

Its time to get your curve on, as this week we will be stepping you through joining the arcs to the background pieces and constructing your blocks. 

Week 5

Make more arcs. Shoot for at least another four if making a baby quilt, and more if you're making one of the larger sizes.

Week 6

This is catch up week.  If you are making the baby quilt, aim to have finished at least 3 rings.

Week 7 

Finish any remaining rings, trim, and complete your quilt top.

Week 8

Admire your beautiful new Free-Wheeling Single Girl quilt top and take the time to scroll through the #freewheelingsinglegirlsal19 hashtag. 

I want in!  How do I join?

You can register here

Signing up for the emails is the best way to get involved as you will have myself, Denyse Schmidt and the Sewtopia team as your own personal cheer squad. We will be sharing oodles of handy hints and exclusive content, all delivered straight to your inbox.

It's the only way to be sure you won't miss a thing!

There will also be some juicy offers and amazing prizes coming your way, so c'mon! Lets sew together.

Sew-along Facebook Group

You might also like to join the optional sew-along Facebook group. It is a closed group, moderated by Denyse, Amy and myself and provides a more intimate space to ask questions and share ideas. 

You can request to join the Facebook group here

Prizes?  There will be prizes?

Yes. By this I actually I mean YES!  

The prizes are going to be bigger and better than ever before. 

We have some amazing sponsors on board this year, and we will be announcing all the details of the amazing prize pool soon. Prepare to be blown away, but

to whet your appetite this year we are giving away prizes before we even start!

Just by signing up you could win one of two exciting prize packs:

• A Free-Wheeling Single Girl pattern + template set from Sewtopia.

• One of my Pathways Quilt pattern + template sets, a tin of our enormously popular thread balm and a sandpaper board.

What materials will I need? 

1. DSQuilts Free-wheeling Single Girl pattern

First up you will need a copy of Denyse Schmidt's fabulous pattern. 

You can purchase a PDF version of Free-Wheeling Single Girl for immediate download, directly from Denyse here.  She also has printed versions.

If you are in Australia, you can purchase a hard copy from us here, or in the US from Sewtopia.

2. Free-Wheeling Single Girl templates

You can totally make your quilt without them, but the templates speed things up enormously. They are made from thick acrylic, especially for use with your rotary cutter, so the templates make trimming the arc and background pieces a breeze. 

They are also super accurate, which means your blocks will go together like clockwork. Winning!

Free-Wheeling Single Girl Templates are available from:

• DSQuilts, and
• Sewtopia in the US
• or in Australia at The Next Stitch . We also ship internationally and you can get a shipping quote by shooting us an email here.

If Crimson Tate, Craft South, Purl Soho or Alewives Fabrics are your local quilt shop you are in luck, because they are also now stocking Free-Wheeling Single Girl patterns and templates, so go check them out.

Already have a copy of the pattern but would like some templates?  No problem.  Just get in touch with DSQuilts, Sewtopia or myself and we will sort you out.

3. Fabric

Denyse Schmidt's Free-Wheeling Single Girl quilt is the perfect project for diving into your scrap bin and using up those carefully hoarded pieces of your favorite fabrics.  

Unless you go down the scrappy route you are going to need some yardage for your background.  Sewtopia and The Next Stitch have you covered.

Once you register you will be sent a coupon code for 15% off yardage from the extensive range of Kona Cotton solids and Essex yarn-dyed linens from  The Next Stitch. 

We also have a tremendous array of designer prints to choose from if you are looking for something with pattern.  We also have some yardage of a number of sought after Denyse Schmidt fabrics and they will be discounted for sew-along members too.

So what are you waiting for?

Sign up now 

Because the 2019 Free-Wheeling Single Girl Sew-along is back, and the 2019 event is guaranteed to be a blast.