QAL by the Sea starts August 4th!

I'm excited to announce the next quilt-a-long by Partners in Design! QAL by the Sea will be the 4th quilt-a-long from the group, and this time it's an ocean theme!

How does it work?
The quilt-a-long (QAL) starts on August 4th. Every Tuesday, a new FREE 12" quilt block pattern and tutorial will be released. This QAL will have 12 blocks. After every four blocks, you'll have a bonus week to catch up and post all four of those blocks for a chance to win some amazing prizes! There will be a mega grand prize too! You can opt to make smaller items from the blocks like a table runner, tote bag, or wall hanging, or you can make a quilt!

Why should I join?
There's a super friendly and supportive QAL Facebook group that will be sewing along with you! That's more than 5,000 quilty friends! The blocks will include different techniques and styles, so you can try new things on a small scale. (You know I love trying new things!) If you want an idea for how this might all come together, check out the quilt I made from the Christmas QAL! Did I mention there are prizes??

Tell me more about the prizes!
The QAL is divided into three groups or segments of four blocks each. If you make all four blocks in a segment, then you'll be entered to win prizes for that segment. If you make all the blocks, then you'll be entered to win a fabulous grand prize package! This time, there are prizes for US AND international participants! Some of the prize sponsors include Island Batik, Shabby Fabrics, Quilters Dream Batting, and Everything Mary!

When will the blocks be released?
The QAL is a mystery - meaning you won't know what the blocks look like until they are released. The suspense is such a fun part of the quilt-a-long!

Segment 1
August 4 - Block 1 - Becca at Pretty Piney Quilts
August 11 - Block 2 - Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter
August 18 - Block 3 - April at JANDA Bend Quilts
August 25 - Block 4 - Sherry at Powered by Quilting
September 8 - Segment 1 winner announced!

Segment 2
September 8 - Block 5 - Sandra at Sandra Healy Designs
September 15 - Block 6 - Bobbi at Snowy Days Quilting
September 22 - Block 7 - Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts <--- That's me!
September 29 - Block 8 - Kathleen at Kathleen McMusing
October 13 - Segment 2 winner announced!

Segment 3
October 13 - Block 9 - Karen at Tu-Na Quilts
October 20 - Block 10 - Sandy at Sandy Star Designs
October 27 - Block 11 - Abbie at Sparkle On!
November 3 - Block 12 - Karen at Tu-Na Quilts
November 10 - Segment 3 winner announced!

December 1 - Grand prize winner announced! (And the last day to get all the patterns for free!)

This sounds like so much fun! How do I join in?
Be sure to join the QAL Facebook group! This is where you'll find the links to the patterns as soon as they are available.

When you make a block, post a photo in the QAL Facebook group. If you use Instagram, you can also post your photo there with #qalbythesea. Each block designer will also host a linky party so you can link up your own blog posts.

While you're waiting for August 4th to get here, gather up some fabrics that you might want to use for an ocean themed quilt! The quilt-a-long is a great way to use fabrics from your stash! I'll be sharing my fabrics with you in a couple weeks!

I do hope you'll quilt along with us!