Busy Hands Quilts: GRAVITY Quilt Along {Block 8 Eclipse}

Today we're beginning Block 8 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 Ultraviolet

July 10, 2015 Block 7 Cosmic

July 24, 2015 Block 8 Eclipse ◄ You are here!

August 7, 2015 Block 9 Voyage
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 7 Prize Winner! ♥

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

$50 Gift Certificate toward custom quilting from Cotton Berry Quilts!
Cluck Cluck Sew PDF quilt pattern

The prize package winner is entry #1 Laura of Sewing Out of My Comfort Zone!!

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 8 Construction ♥

Julie of Jaybird Quilts has shared her color selection tips for Block 8. 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!
Don't panic when you notice Block 6 has partial seams! I avoided them like the plague before, but now I know they are super simple!
Keep calm and sew on!

My tips for block 8:

Be very careful with the orientation of the pieced strips before cutting them into half hexagons. I got confused because the cutting lines in the picture are shown the opposite of how I usually cut, and all my eye saw was the color of the strips, not the direction of the cutting lines. If you happen to cut the first one wrong and realize your mistake, continue cutting them all wrong for that colored block so the design of the block is not broken, i.e., so all the same color strips end up where they should be.
If you haven't cut off the dog ears, DON'T do it! They are very useful when assembling the blocks into the quilt top.

Here are my finished block 8's. Because I didn't pay close enough attention before cutting, some of the strips in the top portion my blue block are reversed and will not look identical to yours.

♥ ♥ 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 August 7th when Block 9 is posted.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Pink Door Fabrics was started by two great friends, Chelsea and Charlie. They carry bold, geometric, punchy fabrics. Pink Door Fabrics is located in Colorado. Thank you to Pink Door Fabrics for donating a $35 Gift Certificate!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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.

♥ ♥ Link-Up Your Block 8's! ♥ ♥

The link-up will be open until the Quilt Along ends. To qualify for the prize giveaway, you must complete two Block 8's and add your link by Thursday, August 6th, 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, August 7th 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:

:: MOP Monday :: Pet Project Show :: BOMs Away :: Building Blocks Tuesday :: WIP Wednesday :: Let's Bee Social :: Needle and Thread Thursday ::

Get a Free Quilt Pattern!

Get a free pattern when you sign up to receive the latest info on what's happening in my studio, new quilt patterns, subscriber-only sales and Giveaways, quilty window shopping, and other fun news!