GRIMOIRE Sewalong - Week 1

Week 1

Welcome to week one of our sew-along! This week, we’ll do all the prep for our Grimoire quilt, whichever size you want to make (Twin Quilt, Banner or Block/Wall Hanging).

If you bought the pattern, you should have received ALL blocks (incl Bonus), the Intro Pattern and the Fabric Calculator. If you don't have any of these, unzip your file again and make sure you see all the folders. This is NOT a sewalong where we release blocks week by week, you should already have everything you need!

This week, we plan and get our fabric, print and assemble our FPP templates, and cut our fabric strips for the frame, if desired (highly recommend for the thin color A strips!) If you'd like to, now is also the time make a test block from SCRAPS to get used to the FPP technique. 

Now, let's get quilting!

Choose your fabric

You can find standard colorway/quilt fabric requirements on pattern page 2. You can find the standard AGF colors in your Fabric Calculator file or at the end of each block pattern. For the frame, we used AGF Golden Bronze (A) and Deep Black (B). You can also mock up your dream colorway with solids or prints on PreQuilt. If you're more of a "doodler", use the coloring pages in the Intro Pattern and at the end of each block pattern to try out colors individually per block. To remember which fabrics go with each letter, print as many color reference pages (page 11) as you need!

Choose your Layout

As a special treat, we also provide a layout tool in the Intro pattern on page 9 and 10, in case you want to repeat blocks and make your own Grimoire quilt or banner layout. Just cut out the blocks and arrange how you like! If you're not making one of each block, the Fabric Calculator can help you determine how much fabric you need. Just fill in the number of blocks you need plus the frame size you need and it will magically tell you how much fabric is required!

If you want to just get a standard kit to get started, we are working with fabric shops to make this super easy for you! These are our go-to places to get them:

US based shops:

Sewfinity: Individual Blocks And Twin kits

By & By: AGF Twin kit and build your own Banner / Block kits

San Diego Sewn: AGF Twin kit 

Full Moon Fabric Co: AGF Twin kit

EU based shops:

Floyd The Fox: AGF Twin kit 

Quilt Mania KONA Twin kits

Print and Assemble FPP Templates (you can do this while you wait for your fabric to arrive!)

Unsure what paper to use? See this video on Instagram for a test of the most common options.

Page 12 of the Intro pattern walks you trough printing and assembling the FPP frame templates. I like to use newsprint paper for this, because it’s more lightweight and easier to rip out (and also cheaper for the amount of paper you need). But you can also use regular printer paper, if that’s what you have on hand.

After you’ve printed a whole stack of template pages (yes, this is normal), you can use a glue stick or washable glue to attach the templates to each other, until you have large sheets. Then cut out your templates with paper scissors.

Pre-crease your paper templates!

Pre-crease your templates for a smoother sewing experience. This is important if you use the FPP process as described in the pattern. I use the flat end of an Add-A Quarter Ruler as the edge and crease with a hera marker from underneath the paper (see this Instagram video of one of my other patterns). You can also use the hera marker to score on top, but don't push too hard or you'll tear the paper. If you're using regular printer paper, you can score the paper directly with a tracing wheel.

Cut into the"good" fabric

Some people prefer to pre-cut pieces for FPP, some don't. Go ahead and do what you prefer (or try both with the individual blocks). For the Twin and banner frame specifically, I made a cutting chart if you're used to pre-cutting from traditional piecing. And to get nice and consistent lines, I highly recommend at least pre-cutting the A strips. You can use fabric labels on Page 15 to keep everything organized.

Last but not least, here is a list of notions for FPP that may be helpful next week:

- 6" and 12" Add-A-Quarter PLUS Ruler: Makes FPP so much quicker and seam allowances more consistent. For very intricate designs, an Add-An-Eighth ruler is also helpful.

- Your favorite FPP paper - The Banner and Twin size frames use a lot of paper. I love using a ream of letter sized Pacon white newspaper for this. For more intricate designs in the blocks, my favorite is June Taylor Perfect Piecing Paper. Regular printer paper works as well, but it is harder to remove at the end and little leftovers can be bulky at the quilting stage. It can help to pre-crease lines with a tracing wheel, so papers come out easier.

- Seam presser - I use Clover Roll & Press (I like it because I don't have to have a hot iron next to me when I'm sewing FPP!) A small Oliso Project iron with wool felt mat (and a silicone mat underneath to protect your workspace) is the luxury option here!

- Batting - I highly recommend a black batting for quilts that have a black background fabric. I use Quilter's Dream black Poly. For quilts with a medium to light background fabric, your favorite natural or white batting is fine!

- A cutting mat that's at least 8" x 24" (bonus points if it fits next to your machine for FPP). A light box/cutting mat combo (like the Glow Premium from Cutterpillar) are really nice for this as well.

- 50wt thread that matches your background fabric or a neutral grey/dark grey thread works as well. We like to use Aurifil thread because it is nice and thin, so it doesn't create bulk when you FPP.

Now we’re all set! I’ll see you in Week 2 for learning FPP and sewing our frame! 

I'd love to see your fabric pulls! If you post on Instagram or Facebook, make sure you tag or mention me @GingerlyQuiltCo, so I can see and reshare your work ❤️