Join me for a Quilt-Along! (QAL)

This is a self-paced QAL. Here are some ways that you can increase your involvement:

Make the quilt top in March! Use the pattern, and I encourage you to buy the Vignettes Quilt Video Workshop, there’s a coupon code in my February email newsletter.
Share that you’re making the quilt top on Instagram with #VignettesQuilt. There are already over 1,000 posts now, before the QAL! Let’s try to crack 2,000 by April! Looking at past posts will inspire you, and checking in with the # is a great way to like and comment on the posts of other people making the quilt.
- When posting, use #vignettesquilt and tag @heidi.parkes in the text and/or in the photo.
- Commenting on posts is one of THE MOST FUN aspects of a QAL. If a post from 2021 has inspired you, add a comment, share the post in your stories, or DM the maker to let them know that you love it. Being friendly on insta is a great way to boost engagement on your own posts too. 💞
When commenting on the posts of others, practice using our art vocabulary! Here are some great phrases to use:
- “I love the TEXTURE in that block.”
- “I usually don’t love the COLOR purple, but the way you’ve JUXTAPOSED it with embroidery is ‘chef’s kiss!’💜”
- “I see that this is your LINE block, but wow, it could also be your REPRESENTATION block in the postmodern principles section, I feel like I’ve learned so much about you by looking at it.”
There are many ways to share about your quilt:
- Make a reel! This could show your process sewing, which people love. #ASMR if you keep the real sewing sounds. A reel can easily highlight one or more of the prompts.
- Use a carousel post. Swiping through can reveal the finished block, a process photo, and some of your inspiration.
- Post your process, not just product! Are you making the blocks out of order? That’s what I did when writing the pattern… A great post could help you make decisions, for example, “Which of these fabrics would be fun to show TEXTURE?” Label them or share in order so folks can comment their preference of choice A, B, C, D, etc.
Pace yourself:
- A self-paced QAL means that you can sew at any speed, in any order.
- You can make a block a day.
- You can sew on the weekend, and then post photos of each block throughout the week.
- You can post about getting started, lingering on decisions about your color palette, theme, quilt size, etc. Posting some of your favorite versions of the quilt (and tagging the makers in the photo) would be a really fun way to kick things off while you decide what to sew.
- You can ‘go live,’ make time-lapse videos of yourself working, pair up with an accountability buddy, and/or set a goal to comment on at least 10 QAL posts per day.
Have fun watching the Quilt-Along Zooms that we did in September 2021, here they are on YouTube:
- Video Workshop: Trailer
- Week One: the pattern, ELEMENTS of ART
- Week Two: the pattern, POSTMODERN PRINCIPLES
- Week Three: complex piecing, composition, and the PRINCIPLES of DESIGN
- Week Four: quilting, titles, and CELEBRATION
If you’re part of an Online Quilting Community like my friend Zak Foster’s Quilty NOOK, you can share there with #VignettesQuilt. 🧡 Bravepatch with Sherri Lynn Wood and A Mending Space with Katrina Rodabaugh have this # capability too! I’m sure you could sew your blocks during Libs Elliott’s Patreon WIP-it-Wednesday’s.
Consider making a Pinterest Board for your quilt! This is my Pinterest. Use #vignettesquilt and write out ‘Heidi Parkes,’ on that platform. (I’ve even made a Vignettes Quilts board and hope to add more quilts here soon!)

TOP REASONS TO LOVE THIS PATTERN:

Increase your art vocabulary
Learn to do complex piecing
Use your machine, hand piece, and incorporate any of the techniques you love
Use up orphan blocks and found textiles
Create a version that’s uniquely yours

PARTICIPATED IN THIS QAL BEFORE? MAKE IT FRESH:

Use a different color palette
- Monochromatic
- Primary
- Neutrals
- Black and white
- Natural dye
Challenge yourself to ‘do the opposite’ from last time
Make the pattern under the ‘umbrella’ of an art movement that you love:
- Minimalist
- Arte Povera (Poor Art)
- Cubist
- Impressionist
- Mannerist
- Paleolithic
- Pointilism
- Pop Art
- Rococo
- Surrealism
Challenge yourself to set a timer and stick to 15 min per block!
What if you focused on a specific technique?
- Redwork
- Cyanotype
- Pine Burr
- Quilt-as-you-go
- Couching
- Paper piecing
- French knots
- Yo-yo’s
- Trapunto
- Mending
What if the vignettes were all the same size as each other making a Baltimore Album style quilt?
What if you followed all the prompts, but made the quilt wholecloth base style, like my Scavenger Hunt and Creativebug Daily Practice Story Quilt patterns?
What if you made the whole quilt in the style of a visual artist you love?
- Elizabeth Peyton
- Yayoi Kusama
- Deb Sokolow
- Annie Albers
- Njideka Akunyili Crosby
- Frida Kahlo
- Andy Warhol
- Mark Rothko
- Sally Mann
- David Hockney
- William Kentridge

I’m so excited to see what you come up with! Please seal your commitment to participate by commenting on THIS blog post! Include where you’ll be sharing (Instagram, Nook, Brave, Mending, WIP-it, etc), your insta handle if sharing there, your PINTEREST if sharing there, and the theme you hope to incorporate if you feel like you’ve got an inkling about it already! 💞