WEEK 1 | Sky Cabin Quilt SAL

 Welcome to the Sky Cabin Sew Along! I’m so excited to be hosting this for you all!

My name is Taylor Krz and I am the quilter behind Toad & Sew. ​​I started Toad & Sew in January of 2021 and I never expected it would get to where it is today. In 2020, I was feeling lost like most other people were, and I needed something to keep my hands busy as I was working full-time at home. It was especially tough living in a new city where I couldn't meet people because of the pandemic.

 Okay, enough about me - on to the Sky Cabin Details!

The log cabin block is one of the most well-known and respected blocks in the quilting world. I have always been fascinated by it because of all the endless possibilities you can get by just simply rearranging it! This modern spin off of a log cabin block makes a wonderful starry kaleidoscope effect when the block is repeated - which is the inspiration behind the name Sky Cabin Quilt! Along with the log cabin block, Sky Cabin includes HSTs and HRTs (which sounds scary, but I promise they are easier than they look!!). They are so easy, in fact, that Sky Cabin is an advanced beginner pattern!

Here are the Sky Cabin Sew Along details:

• Who: You creative bunch of quilters + us over here at Toad & Sew!
• When: July 18th - August 21st (5 weeks total)
• Where: There will be a weekly newsletter and blog post available each Monday! We will be sharing over on Instagram using the #SkyCabinSAL hashtag!
• How: To participate, you will be making a throw or larger Sky Cabin quilt with us all. To enter your name in the drawing for the grand prize, you will need to post the weekly photo by Sunday night of that week! Feel free to post more photos than the weekly one! At the end of the SAL, there will be a final blog post where we will feature some of the quilts you all make! Make sure your profile is set to “public” and you use the #SkyCabinSAL hashtag so we can see your pretty pictures!
• Grand prize: Each week we will reveal a new piece of the prize! At the end of the SAL, we will put together a list of all SAL participants that posted all weekly photos and draw one lucky name! But I mean, everyone's a winner after making yourself a snazzy Sky Cabin quilt!

• Trace Creek Quilting will be offering 25% off your longarm quilting for any Sky Cabin quilt that arrives by September 30th, 2022!
• Quilts Made With Love will also be offering 25% off your longarm quilting for any Sky Cabin quilt that arrives by September 30th, 2022!

To take advantage of the discount, make sure to mention the Sky Cabin SAL in your service request!

I’ve been a long time ‘insta’ friend of Christina aka Kindred Quilt Co, but officially became in person friends with her at QuiltCon 2022! We immediately hit it off and love nerding out on quilty math, riffing off of each other with pattern ideas, and planning sewing getaways! I love her bright cheery personality and how much it shines through her quilts - I knew she’d be the perfect person to help me out with this SAL! Here is a little more about her below:

“Hello, all! My name is Christina with Kindred Quilt Co, and I'll be making the SAL sample with you throughout these next 5 weeks. A little bit about me - I've been quilting almost 9 years, and I love color. I crave optimism and happiness, and feel that my color choices and style reflect that in my quilting. I believe our personalities truly shine in our fabric choices, and I can't wait to see how everyone interprets the Sky Cabin Quilt pattern!

The fabrics I'm using are the warmer tones of Starry by Ruby Star Society. I was completely blown away by Taylor's blue Starry version, so the inspiration behind the fabrics I chose definitely came from her. I had some Starry yardage that I've been holding onto for the perfect pattern, and after seeing Taylor's version I knew it was meant to be.”

Sky Cabin Sew Along Schedule

• ​Week 1, July 18: Pick fabric
  Sponsor: T&S Merch + Patterns! Pick a t-shirt from my shop, sticker sheet + 2 free T&S patterns!
• ​Week 2, July 25: Cut Fabric + make log cabin blocks
  Sponsor: will be announced Jul 25 
• ​Week 3, August 1: Make HSTs
  Sponsor: will be announced Aug 1
• ​Week 4, August 8: Make HRTs
  Sponsor: will be announced Aug 8
• ​Week 5, August 15: Construct blocks + finish top!
  Sponsor: will be announced Aug 15 

Want to replicate the cover? All fabric is AGF Pure Solids:

• Color 1 - Coconut Milk
• Color 2  - Georgia Peach
• Color 3  - Garden Fern
• Color 4  - Marmalade
• Color 5  - Olive Oil
• Color 6  - Coffee Bean

Want to match Christina with @kindredquiltco and her Starry Quilt? See her fabric pull below:

• Color 1 - Natural Black | Starry
• Color 2  - Black Gold Metallic | Starry
• Color 3  - Goldenrod | Starry
• Color 4  - Saddle | Starry
• Color 5  - Papaya | Starry
• Color 6  - Posy | Starry

Picking out colors:

There are tons of fun ways you can play with color with this pattern, but before you buy any fabric I’ve compiled a list of tips/tricks to help you out!

1. Pick fabrics that are similar in value for Colors 1 and 2. For the cover quilt, I chose an off-white as the background and a peach tone for Color 2. This helps make the stars pop without distracting you. If you have a dark background color use a slightly lighter tone for Color 2, and if you’re using a medium tone you can use a lighter or darker tone for Color 2! See Examples 1 and 3 below to get a better understanding of what I mean!
2. Make Color 6 POP! I like to have one color in every quilt that really stands out from the rest - in this pattern the pop looks great as your center squares in your log cabin blocks! Another place that would make a great pop color is Color 4 (aka the large stars). You can play around with what aspect you especially love about this pattern and make it the focal point.
3. Make sure the diamonds inside your stars stand out - if your tones are too similar they may get swallowed in the mix!
4. Make your own mock-ups using the website QuiltInk! You can access all of T&S patterns there, including the Sky Cabin Quilt. Have fun with it and explore what everyone else is up to- oh! and don’t forget to share what you come up with on the public wall to inspire others!
5. Limit your color choices! If you’re having trouble picking six colors (I know the more colors sometimes the trickier it can be), try combining Colors 4 + 5 and Colors 2 + 6. This won’t always work but it’s a great exercise!

 You may love your color palette but not love how it looks in any of your mock-ups. Let’s experiment with how different value placements affect the overall composition of the quilt.

EXAMPLE 1 - This value layout is similar to the cover quilt. If you’re looking to get a similar feel as that one, choose values that closely match the grey/white scale below.  I wanted Color 6 to be the main focal point so I made sure the tones surrounding it were either light or dark because it is a medium tone. It is not touching any other medium tone so there is no risk of it getting lost!

EXAMPLE 2 - I wanted to see what would happen if I reversed the lights and the darks. I went with the darkest value as the background (Color 1)  and the second darkest as Color 2. It looks like a totally different quilt! 

EXAMPLE 3 - For this version, I wanted to keep the background light but show you what happens when Color 2 is a contrast tone to Color 1. I did this by swapping Color 2 and Color 3 from the first option shown above. See how the pattern takes on a new light completely? It feels square heavy and somewhat takes away from those lovely stars! With that being said, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing - you may find that you love this version!

Use your coloring tools

1. Make a mock-up on QuiltInk and print it: Having a mock-up of your exact version on hand will be a huge help! Especially when it comes time to construct your blocks!
2. Go the old fashioned route and use colored pencils: This method may not only be relaxing and a mindless way to release the day's stress but it is also helpful for the folks that don’t have printers or don’t feel confident with the computer!
3. Make your own swatch guide: Cut little swatches out of your final fabric pull and sew them directly onto the blank swatch palette on Page 5 (double check). This will help you keep track of all your colors throughout the entire pattern.

Not a fan of picking fabric?

 Take advantage of these kits!

Toad & Sew

Pasadena Quilt Studio

 

 

 

Taralee Quiltery

 

String and Story

 

Wyldwood Creative

Lamb and Loom