GRAVITY Quilt Along {Block 6 Ultraviolet} + Schedule Changes!!

SCHEDULE CHANGES!

1. A two-week period for Background Block assembly has been added on August 21st since it is a huge step.  {It also adds another giveaway!}
2. This bumps the Quilt Top Assembly link-up back two weeks to September 4th.
3. The Finished Quilt link-up opens on the same date, September 18th, but now ends on November 20th which is moved back one week from the original schedule and allows nine weeks for quilting and binding the quilt.  This is the week before Thanksgiving.  The Grand Prize will be announced the week of Thanksgiving, just in time for some serious Black Friday shopping at the Fat Quarter Shop!

My GRAVITY blocks wanted to play together, so they jumped on the wall in random order!  They're even more delightful in person.  This picture is about 4' across!  Yep, just trying to make you non-GRAVITY makers drool!

For some fun GRAVITY stats, the block 5 link-up had the most entries yet {16}, and they came from the following places:

• Virginia, USA
• California, USA
• Nova Scotia, Canada
• Nevada, USA
• Ontario, Canada
• British Columbia, Canada
• England, UK
• Washington, USA
• Pennsylvania, USA
• Illinois, USA
• Alberta, Canada
• New Jersey, USA

Today we're beginning Block 6 in the GRAVITY Quilt Along!  I am excited to have you quilting along with me or watching from the sidelines!

   Cheers  erupt,  confetti  falls,  and  happy  dance  begins!!  

GRAVITY QUILT ALONG SCHEDULE:

March 8, 2015 Announcement!

March 10, 2015  Alternative Fabric Ideas

March 13, 2015 Using Your Solids Stash for a Gravity Quilt

March 16, 2015 - Schedule and Sponsors

March 17, 2015  Sponsors and Prizes!

March 24, 2015  Template Tips

April 17, 2015  Block 1 Horizon

May 1, 2015  Block 2 Constellation 

May 15, 2015  Block 3 Orbit 

May 29, 2015  Block 4 Intergalactic 

June 12, 2015  Block 5 Celestial

June 26, 2015  Block 6 ◄ You are here!

July 10, 2015  Block 7

July 24, 2015  Block 8

August 7, 2015  Block 9
August 21, 2015  Background Blocks

September 4, 2015  Finished Quilt Tops

September 18, 2015  Finished Quilts
November 20, 2015 Last day to enter the Finished quilt link-up.

 ♥ Block 5 Prize Winner! ♥ 

A special Thank You to the sponsors for today's giveaway!  

The prize package includes:

• Jaybird Night Sky Fat Quarter bundle from the Fat Quarter Shop!
• Cluck Cluck Sew PDF quilt pattern 

The prize package winner is entry #13 Jennie @ Jennie's Threads!  She's quilting along with us from England and started GRAVITY at Block 1 just last week and is already caught up!  She's also making baby GRAVITY blocks!

Today's winner was chosen randomly from the entries who have not won in previous GRAVITY QAL drawings in order to spread the prizes around more evenly. Hopefully other quilters will join us and the drawings will revert to being truly random.  The final Grand Prize Drawing of completed quilts will be random, and all previous winners can win that amazing package!

 ♥ Visit the QAL Sponsors to Get Your Supplies! ♥ 

 ♥ Block 6 Ultraviolet Construction ♥ 

Julie of Jaybird Quilts has shared color selection tips for Block 6 Ultraviolet.  This will help you know which colors from the stack to use if you are making your GRAVITY quilt exactly like the original, which I am.

Here are my previous tips for creating your GRAVITY Quilt:

• Starch fabrics with Best Press or similar high-quality starch.
• Allow fabrics to completely dry before cutting due to potential shrinkage from the starch.
• Read the instructions carefully several times.
• Press seams open.  This is new for me but really makes a difference in this quilt.  Run fingernail along the seam ahead of the iron to fully open it.
• When piecing, pin the end of the pieces closest to you to keep them lined up.
• Design boards come in handy for keeping block pieces in the right place when moving them to the sewing machine.  You can view my Design Board Tutorial - the Duck Tape Version for tips on making some for yourself.
• I don't think I've told you before - I'm using gray thread because it blends well with all of the colors.  
• The full 10" of fabric is used for one of the colors in Block 5.  Be sure to measure carefully before cutting off the pinked edge to be sure there will be enough fabric left for all of the required strips.
• I'm getting comfortable enough with using the templates that I am layering both fabrics with the same letter together before cutting - what a timesaver!
• When piecing, follow the diagrams carefully, paying close attention to how the notched edge of each piece is oriented.  They seem to be placed in a way that reduces bulk where many seams come together.  This is amazing foresight by the designer.  Thanks so much, Julie!

My tip for Block 6:

• Don't panic when you notice this block has partial seams!  I avoided them like the plague before, but now I know they are super simple!

Here are my finished block 6's.

 ♥ ♥   Prize Package Giveaway!  ♥ ♥ 

Please visit our sponsors and show them some love by purchasing from their shops, bookmarking their storefronts for later shopping, and signing up for their newsletters.  Be sure to tell them you are visiting their shop from the GRAVITY Quilt Along!  Let them know sponsoring Quilt Alongs is advertising that works!

The following prize package will be given away to one entrant on July 10th when Block 7 is posted. 

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

Quilt Sandwich Fabrics is donating 6 half-yard cuts of Flora by Joel Dewberry! Kris and Becca are two fabric-obsessed sisters whose shop specializes in high-quality fun and modern fabrics. Their shop is located in my home state of Washington!  Be sure to check out their Specials page for available discount codes!

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew is donating 10 PDF patterns! Each prize drawing will include one PDF pattern of the winner's choice. Stop by her shop and take your merry time deliberating over which pattern you'd choose!  Allison has over 40 patterns to choose from, so you're sure to find just what you need.  Cluck Cluck Sew is located in Washington!  Here's a sampling of her patterns.

 Share Via Flickr, Social Media, & Your Blog! 

Please post your pictures to the Gravity Quilt Along Flickr Group!

Please share about the Gravity Quilt Along on social media!

#GravityQAL and #GravityQuilt

Please share the GRAVITY QAL button in your blog post.

<a href="http://busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com/p/gravity-qal.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/hearts4homeschooling/Gravity%20Quilt%20Along%20at%20Busy%20Hands%20Quilts/GravityQALButton_zpsiu1mtrzn.jpg" title ="Gravity QAL at Busy Hands Quilts" /></a>

 ♥ ♥   Link-Up Your Block 6's!   ♥ ♥ 

The link-up will be open until the Quilt Along ends.  To qualify for the prize giveaway, you must complete two Block 6's and add your link by Thursday, July 9th, 2015, 11:55 pm Pacific Coast US time.  You can link to a blog post, Flickr, Instagram, or Facebook.  Just make sure to link up before Friday, July 10th to be entered in the prize package giveaway!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Please link to the GRAVITY Quilt Along in your post!

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking to:

:: What I Did This Week :: Crazy Mom Quilts :: Pink Doxies :: Show Off Saturday :: MOP Mondays :: Building Blocks Tuesday :: 

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