Welcome to the Uppercross Quilt and Uppercross Cottage Quilt Sew Along!! If you don’t already have your copy of one of these patterns, click here for the Uppercross Quilt Pattern and here for the Uppercross Cottage Quilt Pattern and join the fun! Also, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter so you get all the updates and sew along info straight in your inbox.
Sew alongs are such a fun way to connect to the quilting community as we make a quilt together virtually. If you are following along on Instagram, you can search #UppercrossQuiltSA to see what all of us are making. You can sew along with us every week, or go at your own pace. These blog posts and helpful tips will always be here for you!
Uppercross Sew Along - What you need to know
- There is no official sign up for the sew along, but make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter so you get all the updates and information weekly.
- We will be making the Uppercross Quilt OR the Uppercross Cottage Quilt in any size. If you don’t have a copy of one of the patterns, you can get one here.
- The sew along will run from September 6, 2021 through October 31, 2021. (That’s 8 weeks).
- We will have some amazing weekly prizes and you’ll find out what they are later in this post!
How Do I sew along?
Start by signing up for the Sara Lucille Newsletter here or scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up. Every Monday, during the sew along, you will get an email update on the sew along and a new blog will be posted with all of the information for that week.
Follow along with all of the fun participants as we work on our Uppercross quilts and make sure you post your progress for everyone to see! Those who post on instagram using the hashtag #UppercrossQuiltSA will be entered to win the weekly prize. And by the end of the 8 weeks, you will have a beautiful finished Uppercross or Uppercross Cottage quilt!
what's included in the sew along?
- Tips, Tricks & New Skills: A sew along is a great way to learn new quilting skills, not only from me but from all the participants. As you follow the hashtag #UppercrossQuiltSA you will get to meet and interact with all the other amazing makers participating and learn from one another.
- Weekly Prizes: I mean, seriously though, who doesn’t love free stuff? You’re probably going to be making a quilt this fall, why not win a prize while you’re at it? There are so many fun sponsors that are donating a lot of fabulous prizes for this sew along. You won’t want to miss out on this, I promise.
- Weekly Support: I am here for you and so are all your quilty friends! Here’s what you can expect from me as we work on our quilts.
- Weekly Newsletters reminding you of what we are working on that week, with tips and tricks to get you through each task. If you aren’t signed up for the Sara Lucille Newletter, you can sign up here!
- Weekly Blog Posts that will be posted each Monday during the sew along to walk you through each and every step. You’ll get helpful hints and inspiration to keep you motivated.
- Video tutorials with me, where I show you all my favorite tips for making the Uppercross Quilt and Uppercross Cottage Quilt.
book club (optional)
A completely optional, but fun, element of the sew along will be our little book club! The name Uppercross was inspired by the book Persuasion by Jane Austen. If you’re a huge Janeite like me, then you don’t really need much of an excuse to read anything by Jane Austen. And if you’ve never read anything by my favorite author, then now is the perfect time! Check below for the chapters to read each week and I’ll be sharing my thoughts and insights on instagram at the end of each week.
If you participate in the book club, post your thoughts from that week’s reading to your instagram stories and make sure you tag me, @saralucillehandmade. Every story post will be an entry for a special giveaway! And if you’re a Jane Austen fan, you won’t want to miss out on this, it’s such a good one!
Uppercross sew along schedule
- Week 1 – September 6th -12th: Fabric Pull (Optional – Read chapters 1-3 of Persuasion by Jane Austen.)
- Week 2 – September 13th – 19th: Cut Fabric (Optional – Read chapters 4-6 of Persuasion by Jane Austen.)
- Week 3 – September 20th – 26th: Strip Piecing (Optional – Read chapters 7-9 of Persuasion by Jane Austen.)
- Week 4 – September 27th – October 3rd: 4-Patch Block Assembly (Optional – Read chapters 10-12 of Persuasion by Jane Austen.)
- Week 5 – October 4th – October 10th: Assemble Cross Blocks (Optional – Read chapters 13-15 of Persuasion by Jane Austen.)
- Week 6 – October 11th – October 17th: Assemble Plus Blocks (Optional – Read chapters 16-18 of Persuasion by Jane Austen.)
- Week 7 – October 18th – October 24th: Catch Up Week (Optional – Read chapters 19-21 of Persuasion by Jane Austen.)
- Week 8 – October 25th – October 31st: Sew Blocks and Rows Together and Assemble Your Finished Quilt! (Optional – Read chapters 22-24 of Persuasion by Jane Austen.)
Sponsors
week one: picking fabric
Welcome to week one of the Uppercross Sew Along! This week we are gathering supplies and picking fabric. Between these two patterns, there are so many options with this quilt! I suggest deciding whether you want to go Classic, Contemporary or Scrappy with your quilt. If you aren’t sure, check out #UppercrossQuilt and #UppercrossCottageQuilt for lots of inspiration.
Uppercross or uppercross cottage?
The first order of business will be to pick which pattern you want to make! Here are a few of the main differences between the two patterns.
UPPERCROSS QUILT
- More classic, traditional look
- Smaller blocks
- More sizes available, baby through queen
- Comes in two color options, Classic & Contemporary
UPPERCROSS COTTAGE
- More modern look
- Larger blocks
- Only two sizes, baby and throw
- Comes in two color options, Classic & Scrappy
Classic Version (uppercross or uppercross cottage)
I absolutely love the classic version of this quilt. You can make both the Uppercross AND the Uppercross Cottage in the classic version and they’re both gorgeous. I’ll be making the Classic version of the Uppercross Cottage quilt during the sew along using the beautiful blue and cream combo shown above.
Below is the original version of this pattern, a stunning black and cream quilt I made in a twin size. You can also get some inspiration from these two amazing classic versions made by my testers, Amanda Lee Smith and Britt Resheske.
Picking fabric for the classic version is fairly simple, pick two contrasting colors that complement each other and you can’t go wrong.
contemporary version (uppercross quilt)
The contemporary version is only an option with the Uppercross Pattern. The beauty of this version is that those plus blocks really get to shine.
The contemporary version uses two different fabrics for the chain and the plus blocks. I made this version using a textured woven fabric for the chain and a gorgeous Liberty of London Floral for the plus blocks.
You’ll need 2 coordinating colors plus a background color for this version. I suggest you start by deciding on a background color. From there, you can pick your chain fabric and then have fun picking out a fun color or print for the plus blocks. Below you can see a few examples of the contemporary version by Elaine Satterfield and Amanda Birdwell.
scrappy version (uppercross cottage)
The scrappy Uppercross Cottage is such a fun version to make! It’s fat quarter friendly in the baby and throw size. You’ll need 6 fat quarters plus a background color to make the scrappy version.
If you’re planning to make the scrappy version of this quilt, you could have a lot of fun shopping in your own stash! I recommend choosing one of the following strategies:
- Color: Pick six fat quarters all in the same color family, with varying prints and textures.
- Collection: Go with a fat quarter bundle all from the same collection. Because these will have been designed to work together, they will be beautiful and harmonious in your Uppercross Cottage quilt.
- Background: Let your background be the star of the show. Pick a background print first and then choose some solid colors that will complement the print well, but not be too distracting.
Here are a few pulls by my testers to get you inspired. They all made such fun scrappy versions of this quilt. Sylvia Raschella, Andrea Katz, Victoria Newmyer and Becky Woods.
supplies you'll need
You don’t need anything fancy to participate in this sew along! Just make sure you have the items on this list! I’ve added a few optional items as well, if you want to add a new notion or tool to your arsenal.
- The Uppercross quilt pattern or the Uppercross Cottage quilt pattern.
- Fabric as required by the pattern and size you choose to make. (See the fabric requirements below.)
- Basic quilting supplies, i.e., a sewing machine, thread, cutting board and rotary cutter, iron and ironing surface, and acrylic rulers in a few sizes.
- (Optional) Creative Grids Stripology XL Ruler
- (Optional) tailor’s clapper
- (Optional) wool pressing mat
week one giveaway
This week, Jordan and Joy Co is sponsoring our sew along with this Classic Uppercross Cottage throw kit. So gorgeous, right?? I love this fabric combo! Jordan just celebrated the grand opening of her fabric shop, Jordan and Joy Co, and carries the most gorgeous bundles. Check out her shop and make sure you read the adorable descriptions of each specially curated bundle. Jordan also makes the most gorgeous quilts! You should check out her instagram account here.
HOW TO WIN:
- Post a picture to Instagram with an introduction OR show us your fabric pull. Use #UppercrossQuiltSA somewhere in the caption.
- Your Instagram account must be public to participate.
- Each photo you post is an entry and you can post as many times as you want during the week. Each week we start fresh and the posts from the previous week no longer count.
- Your pictures must be posted between Monday, 9/6 at 8:00 a.m. Mountain Time and Sunday, 9/12 at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time.
- The winner will be announced next Monday, 9/13.
Good Luck and have fun!!
xoxo, Sara Marie
Goid Morning:
I’m excited for the quilt along to get started. I purchased the pattern and the midlife quilters bundle forever ago. When I started cutting and sewing I got confused at sewing the strips together. I’m not sure if it’s me or if it’s the pattern. For the scrappy upper cross cottage you cut 2×12“ strips from the color but the background has 2×10″. Which is the correct length or am I totally reading this wrong?
Mel
Hi Mellena!
Totally not you! I actually updated these instructions in the pattern but that must have been after you purchased yours. You will sew the 2” x 10” background strips to the 2” x 12” color and there will be a bit hanging off each side. You should still have a long enough piece to cut the required rectangles. I hope that makes sense! So happy to have you sewing along!!
Hello, your works brings lovely joy during such a crazy time. May I please ask about the grey fabric in the contemporary version. The name of the textured woven fabric. Not sure if you can get it in Australia but always worth a try. Many thanks
Kristina
Thank you Kristina! The grey fabric I used is by Diamond Textiles. I bought it online and the shop called it “rectangled in soot”. I hope that’s helpful!