The Mini Masterpieces QAL 2020

Fun fact: Did you know that Mini Masterpieces was originally going to be released in April of this year? It’s true! But because of the QAL-able nature of the book, Lucky Spool and I decided that a Fall 2019 release would be better so that 2020 could be the Year Of Mini Masterpieces… And today is that day!

Today is the release day for Mini Masterpieces, and I am using this momentous occasion to talk about the quilt along for next year. In case you haven’t heard me talk about this already, Mini Masterpieces features 12 quilting techniques with a sampler quilt block and a full mini quilt pattern for each technique. This perfectly lines up with covering one technique per month… see, I told you it was QAL-able!

Mini Masterpieces QAL Details

We’ll start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) with Lesson 1 in January, and then Lesson 2 in February, and sew on and sew forth through 2020. As the start of January is always a little crazy, and because I like to have at least a couple of weeks holiday over Christmas, we’ll officially begin on Monday, January 6th with the first blog post, etc. Otherwise, the first of each month will be the start of the next project.

What are we making
Each lesson in Mini Masterpieces contains a sampler quilt block and a mini quilt pattern. You are welcome to make either of these projects for the QAL, and join in the community experience that is a quilt along. I will be sharing posts here on the blog and in the Facebook group and on Instagram with tips and tricks along the way; essentially as much information as I can think of to help you along the way!

Sampler quilt block and mini quilt pattern from Mini Masterpieces; photos by Page + Pixel

What you need
So what does one need to join in?

• A copy of Mini Masterpieces – you can buy a copy from these various stockists, or a signed copy from me here
• A sewing machine and basic quilting supplies
• Your favourite fabrics – all the fabric requirements are listed in the book for each block and quilt pattern

As for any necessary templates for second half of the patterns, they are all included in the back of the book. You can simply trace those onto template plastic with a permanent marker and/or photocopy onto paper or cardboard, however I will provide links and ideas for where to find other options closer to the time, i.e. acrylic templates or AccuQuilt dies.

I’m happy to announce that I already have EPP kits for the Carpenter’s Diamond mini quilt (above) in stock so if you’d love to get your hands on one of them, you can buy them here. They’re manufactured by Tales of Cloth, so if you know and love Jodi’s papers, you’ll be right with these!

The QAL prizes
Oh yes, of course there’s prizes! I hope that you participate in the QAL mainly to improve your skills and join in the community, but I’m not silly… of course we like some external motivation to move us along 😉

There are two different prizes each month – one for those who have completed the month’s mini quilt or turned the sampler block into a finished product, and one for those who’ve made the sampler quilt block. So the prizes differ according to what you make… I’m sure you can understand that a full mini quilt is quite different from a single quilt block!

To enter, you can either post a photo of your month’s project in the Blossom Heart Quilts group on Facebook in the relevant photo album that will be created at the start of each month (here’s how to do that), or post it on Instagram using the QAL hashtag #MiniMasterpiecesQAL.

Photo by Page + Pixel

Quilt Prize – Mini Quilt or Block Project
For those who finish the mini quilt or turn the sampler block into a finished product, there’s a bundle of fabric to be won. Each month, I’ll be making the mini quilt using a specific line of fabric, and then the prize for that month is a bundle of that same fabric!

To enter for a quilt prize, your mini quilt must be fully finished (quilted and bound). If you’re making a product from the sampler block, it can be any size and any product, i.e. a cushion or a pouch, but also fully finished.

Block Prize – Sampler Quilt Block
For those who make the sampler quilt block from that month’s lesson, there’s patterns and perhaps some other little goodies along the way…

To enter for a block prize, your quilt block must be sewn as per the book’s instructions. As in, it must look like the block in the book, and not a completely different pattern 😉

Note – if you’re working towards making a sampler quilt of the blocks, you can enter the finished sampler quilt at any point throughout the year to be entered for a quilt prize! 

Photo by Page + Pixel

QAL FAQs

I’m a beginner quilter, can I join in?
Yes, yes, YES! Beginners welcome! Mini Masterpieces was written with you in mind. Whether you’re a brand new quilter, or have some experience and just never tried curves or EPP, this is for you. I will be posting as many tips and tricks, and hopefully even some videos too, as I can to enable you to try each technique.

I don’t know that I have time to make everything…
Then please don’t try to make everything – I would much rather you dip and out to make what you love or what you really want to learn, then feel some kind of pressure to make something every single month. You do what works for you, and that’s all I could ever ask for.

What are the dates for each month?
In terms of when to start sewing and sharing, go by the calendar month, i.e. February 1-29th, in YOUR timezone. I will be sharing the monthly blog post with tips and tools and such on the first weekday of the month, which may be on the 1st of the month, or the first Monday of the month, i.e. Monday the 3rd of February.

Can I hand sew the quilts in Mini Masterpieces?
I’m not a hand-piecer, but from what I’ve seen other people make by hand, then yes, these quilts will be a cinch to hand piece!

Why do the mini quilts need to be fully finished?
I did seriously consider whether to allow quilt tops… but part of the spirit of Mini Masterpieces is to finish a project rather than having a pile of WIPs and quilt tops lying around. Mini quilts are an achievable size to complete, and there’s no judgement on how much quilting there is on your quilt, so don’t let that hold you back either!

I’m not on Facebook or Instagram, can I still participate?
Absolutely you can still sew along at home! The purpose of online QALs is to be a part of the online community and the fun and conversations and friendships that it brings, so that’s why so much of QALs is built around social media. While I hope the QAL inspires people to create for the sake of creating, not just for the prizes, in terms of making it easier to manage and award prizes, Facebook and Instagram are the only way to enter the monthly giveaways.

If I make a quilt or project earlier than the QAL schedule, can I enter that?
First of all, I love that you’ve dug right into Mini Masterpieces! You rock! But alas posting a pre-made quilt is not really in the spirit of the QAL community, so no, you can’t.

Are there classes I can take in person for the book?
For those located in and around Melbourne, stay tuned on class announcements throughout 2020 (sign up here to receive event announcements). If you’re located elsewhere, ask your local quilt shop if they’re running any classes for Mini Masterpieces. But hey, any class on that particular technique you’re warily side-eyeing will be useful, so go ahead and see if anyone else is teaching a similar technique, I’m not offended 😉

If you’re a shop owner wanting to teach classes based on Mini Masterpieces, the quick answer is absolutely go ahead! Just as long as each student has a copy of Mini Masterpieces themselves. For more information, please contact me.

Any other questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll respond!