Gudrun Erla's #QQAL2

I wanted to devote a post to the Quarantine Quilt-a-Long #2, hosted by Gudrun Erla of GEDesigns. The QAL was held this past Sunday, May 3rd. The kick-off was at 9am Central Time. There were four more get-togethers every two hours after that. During the "meetings", which could be seen on Facebook Live or YouTube, Gudrun gave tips, prizes, interviews with guests, showed examples of the quilt we were making, and answered questions. Her talks lasted about 30 minutes. Behind the scenes, filming this adventure, was her husband who is affectionately known as Mr. Honey Producer. One more thing -- The pattern cost as much as you wanted to donate, whether it was $2, $5, or $10. Every single dime was split between 3 of Gudrun's favorite charities and she didn't keep a dime. Wondering how much she brought in? OVER $34,000!!!!

Let me just stop right here and let you know that this event was so perfectly run. Two hours is plenty of time to get a feel for the next few steps after listening with & to Gudrun. There was one session that I barely got any sewing done due to requirements here at home. After all, just because I was "attending class" did not mean that I could neglect my husband nor did it mean the dog would not get taken out or another load of laundry thrown in the dryer. The beauty of this QAL was that you could work at your own pace and still get things done that needed getting done!

I would like to thank my sister for sharing the information about this QAL with me. While I sewed here in Illinois, she was busy sewing in Texas. We were sewing the same project together .... virtually. Fabulous!

I didn't take the time to take too many pictures but I'll share with you what I got.

This was my palette. It is from the Urban Jungle fabric line. The strip across the top is my "accent" fabric which I found in my stash.

Here are my first two blocks. The edges look a little raggedy because they have not been trimmed up yet.

Here are my first two blocks trimmed up perfectly. It's also the view out my basement window where I usually quilt. Normally my piecing gets done upstairs but I wanted the illusion of sewing at retreat so I retreated to the basement. Aren't my irises blooming prettily?

At about this time, my sister had finished up eight blocks and put them up on her design wall to get an idea of what her blocks were going to look like together. Her fabrics mostly come from the Desert Bloom fabric line.

At the end of the day I had managed to sew twelve blocks. Here they are up on my design wall. The pattern, called Hope from GEDesigns, shows five different settings. I'll figure out which way I like best when I get the rest finished.

Again I want to give a BIG SHOUT-OUT  to Gudrun Erla and Mr. Honey Producer for giving me such a wonderful day. My husband requires my care every four hours or less and this was such a breath of joy for me. I know this was a lot of work for Gudrun to get this organized and running and the day of the event was a very long day for her, but I'm hoping there will be a Quarantine Quilt-a-Long #3 next month. After all, Gudrun was supposed to be teaching at my guild's June meeting. This is truly the next best thing!

To see some of the quilts in progress AND some of the finished quilts, visit the Facebook Group - Gudrun's Quilt Crew or visit GE Designs on YouTube after purchasing the pattern and make your very own Hope quilt!