Patchwork Quilt Along - Block 1

Welcome! Fat Quarter Shop's annual charity quilt-along has just kicked off, and it's called 'Patchwork Quilt Along'. As with last year's quilt, I am so honoured to be one of the guest bloggers who will be sewing along again this year!

In case you haven't seen it yet, here's the quilt we will be making. It consists of 12 simple classic blocks, so it's a really great project for beginners! And the pace is very slow, only 6 blocks per month, so it shouldn't be a struggle to fit in. My first six blocks this month only took me a couple of hours to make, to give you an idea of the time commitment you would be undertaking.

You can either use your own fabrics, or order a quilt kit from Fat Quarter Shop if you would like to make the same quilt as above, featuring Bonnie & Camille Basics fabric.

This quilt along benefits Make-A-Wish. This fantastic organization grants the wishes of children diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. Make-A-Wish believes a wish experience can be a game-changer. Granted wishes help children feel stronger, more energetic, and more willing to face their medical battle, and for many the wish marks a turning point in the fight against their illnesses! And this year, Fat Quarter Shop and Moda Fabrics will match up to $20,000 of donations raised too!

The Patchwork quilt blocks are FREE to download on the 15th of every month on the Fat Quarter Shop blog, Jolly Jabber, starting today. We only ask a suggested donation of $5 to the Make-A-Wish campaign for each time you download a block pattern.

The first block pattern has just been released, and it's the 'Souvenir of Friendship' block - you can download the pattern here, and there is a video tutorial on Jolly Jabber also.

I've always wanted to make a pink, red, and grey quilt, and thought this would be just the thing for this quilt along. I will be using a mix of red and pink fabrics from my personal stash - though all of this month's prints come from the Little Ruby collection by Bonnie & Camille. The grey dot background print was from Ministry of Fabric.

I hope you like my blocks! You can also check out the quilts other guest bloggers are making by visiting their blogs, here's the full list:

Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl (@jedicraftgirl)
Amy of Diary of a Quilter (@diaryofaquilter)
Andy of A Bright Corner (@abrightcorner)
Bonnie of Cotton Way (@bonniecottonway)
Camille of Thimble Blossoms (@thimbleblossoms)
Debbie of Happy Little Cottage (@happylittlecottage1)
Greg of Grey Dogwood Studio (@greydogwoodstudio)
Heidi of Buttons and Butterflies (@buttonsandbutterflies)
Melissa of Happy Quilting (@happyquiltingmc)
Melissa of Oh How Sweet (@ohhowsweet)
Pat Sloan of PatSloan.com (@quilterpatsloan)
Renee of Sewn with Grace (@sewnwithgrace)
Sedef of Down Grapevine Lane (@downgrapevinelane)
Sherri of A Quilting Life (@aquiltinglife)
Sondra of Out of the Blue Quilts (@sondradavison)
Taunja of Carried Away Quilting (@taunjalynn)
Tina of Emily Ann's Kloset (@emilyannskloset)

If you are inspired and would like to join this quilt along, bookmark the quilt along page on the Fat Quarter Shop blog, and visit on the 15th of each month to download that month's block pattern. Easy peasy! You can share your progress with other quilters  in the Patchwork Facebook group and post your blocks using #patchworkquiltalong on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Enjoy!