Follow Your Heart: Fabric Requirements

Well September is now behind us, and in its wake left mountains of snow across Southern Alberta. My husband and I were at a retreat just outside of Pincher Creek over the weekend, my In-laws were there as well and my mother in law was quite worried about being snowed in, turns out she had just cause, we woke up Saturday morning to a couple feet of snow on top and all around our vehicles, thankfully we were all able to make it home safely before the snow started up here, and I was happy to be snowed in at home on Monday with my family rather than away from them.
Today I am sharing the materials list for the Follow Your Heart Quilt Along that will be starting in two weeks. There are a total of 15 blocks in this sampler quilt and it will finish at about 62" x 73"
For this quilt you will need the book Follow Your Heart by Terry Atkinson, we have copies available in our shop if you still need one.
For fabric you will need at least 14 fat quarters, if you wish to go scrappier than that you can also use 28 fat eighths, or even use scraps from your stash at home. You will want to have a variety of colors and values in your selection. In the instructions for each block it will tell you to cut this from your darks, this from your brights and that from your lights, so if you wish you could definitely sort your fabric into these three categories.
The backgrounds in the pattern are scrappy and call for 10 half meter cuts or 20 fat quarters. If you have never done a scrappy background on a quilt I encourage you to give it a try, the first couple blocks can be difficult but after that it gets to be really fun. If you wish to do it in one color you will need 4.5 meters of fabric, which is equal to 5 yards. If you have never gone outside the typical white for your background I encourage you to switch it up, try a dark grey, or even a color like light blue or pink if it works with your fabrics.
You will also need some fusible web. I suggest either trans web or steam a seam lite. Trans web you will 0.75meter. It does not stick in place until heat is applied. Steam a seam lite you will need 0.3meter as it is wider. It does have some tackiness to it that will allow you to stick it in place and re position it until heat is applied. I have used both and like using both of them. You will also want thread to match your fabrics. I use Aurifil thread for all my projects and absolutely love it!
For rulers you will need your basic sizes. I like my 8.5"x12.5" for the bigger cutting and my 4.5"x8.5" for smaller trimming. Many of these blocks some out as rectangles not squares but I do suggest a larger ruler to square these up, as it is more accurate than using the lines on your cutting mat.
We will also be using a 60 degree ruler for a few of the blocks. There is one block that calls for the Easy Angle Ruler and Easy Angle Companion Ruler so if you have them great, if not I will give instructions on how to do the block without. I also highly suggest the 4 in 1 half square triangle ruler from Creative Grids as well as the Folded Corner Clipper also from Creative Grids.
I am planning to use a collection by Lella Boutique called Lollipop Garden for my quilt, and will be using just one fabric for my background, a dark not quite black melange, (melange is the name of one of the blender collections in our shop and is by Stof, if you haven't checked them out you totally should)

Esther is using a variety of Color Master boxes from Art Gallery, which are fat quarters bundle the company has made in various color ways from all the fabrics they have produced. She is using Raise The Volume for her background which is a collection of 10 background fabrics by Art Gallery. Using a collection like this is a great way to go scrappy without having to choose the fabrics yourself, they are already chosen for and are meant to coordinate but give the scrappy vibes.
Another great collection of Background fabrics if you want to go scrappy but are not sure how to start is the Modern Backgrounds by Zen Chic.
 This quilt along will run the same as the previous QALs I have done on this blog.
I will post a new block every two weeks with some tips or suggestions. There will be a Facebook group that you can join to share your progress with others that are quilting along.
I am excited to get started on this quilt and em eager to see all your fabric selections.
Kayla