Gravity quilt... How challenging is it?
 

I've been quilting a little over a year and have made 4 smaller quilts, but none using triangles or other bias cut pieces. I love the new gravity pattern and am very tempted but wondering if that's too much to chew off?

i do have limited time to sew and sometimes only get in a few hours a week?

thoughts?

Welcome to the board from NJ. If you are confident in your sewing skills in general you should be fine. The only issue with bias edges is the stretch. Use LOTS of starch. I use liquid Sta-Flo at a 1:1 ratio. I'm not familiar with that pattern but depending on how the instructions tell you to cut/piece the triangles, you could also sew a line of 'stay stiches' very close to what will be the cut edge (between your seam line and the cut edge) to keep the edges stable. Usually best done with larger pieces. Remember to 'press' not 'iron' when working with those cut pieces. Handle them as little as possible until they are sewn into your top.

Welcome from western NY and happy quilting :)

Welcome from Arkansas-You'll never know until you try-what have you got to lose? Just go for it!! Loads of help from us-just ask & someone always knows the answer!

Wow, that is a gorgeous quilt! Welcome to the forum and will look forward to seeing posts of your progress. http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/2014/11/gravity-quilt.html

Welcome to the board. In my opinion, I think you might get frustrated and have a UFO because of your limited skills and your time limitation. Try making something with bias edges to get your feet wet and get acquainted with quilting bias edges. Diamonds are one of the most difficult items for quilting accurately. Jaybird patterns are not what I would suggested for a beginner quilter.

Wow, for a moment there I worried that quilt in the link given would be blown away while the photos were being taken. Gorgeous!

I have had my eye on this quilt also, it is so striking. I think we should both do it. No 'Y' seams!

My biggest worry is not the piecing, but the quilting.

If you scroll down the pictures in the link you can see where they have laid the quilt on the ground near the water. I cringe just thinking about such a beautiful quilt on the dirty/wet ground.

Go for it! What fun!

I think it's entirely do-able for anyone who has good accurate cutting and seam-stitching skills. The pieces are relatively big, so it goes fairly quickly. I think the pattern is written very clearly and with great illustrations which makes it easy to follow her method. I'd not want to do it without the super side kick ruler-- though of course you can make it with just the templates in the pattern. I just prefer the speed and accuracy of cutting with a ruler. You may run into issues with pressing-- Julie usually presses seams open, which I don't love, but I do follow her suggestion to do so with quilts like this one where many points are coming together.

It's a beautiful quilt and I'm sure you will be proud of it when you get it done. My only concern is that it might be so intricate that you would get discouraged with it before you got through. But my guess is that if you really want to do it, you can. Welcome to the board from N Texas, 60 miles north of Dallas and 30 miles south of Durant, OK. froggyintexas

To those of you who think it's complicated/intricate -- it's really not. The piecing is very straightforward, and each portion (diamond) is something you can easily assemble in a sitting /evening, especially if your pieces are pre-cut and you're not agonizing over fabric choices. The thing that's taking me time is getting my fabric and color balances where I want them, as I resolved to make it using only my stash and I'm incorporating some prints and fussy cutting.

If you buy the kit, or follow her fabric selections, the heavy work is pretty much done. The cutting is all strip-based, and the seams are very easy-- never a y-seam or a partial seam. Another thing to consider is that you don't have to make all the triangles/diamonds as shown. In some cases, I have fabrics in a certain colorway that I want to use that will be better showcased in a slightly different arrangement, and it's very easy to switch it up to accommodate that.

If you like the pattern but are concerned about completion, you could always just make one or two of the blocks with fabrics you have on hand and use them on a feature pillow -- just to see how challenging it is for you before you invest in several hundreds of dollars in fabric.

Welcome from Bonnie Scotland. Hope you enjoy QB.

I would try a pillow first if you are unsure of your ability. On the other hand our skills never grow if we do not hone them and try new things. If you love it, do it. You can always take a break if you become frustrated. Just take it slow

That quilt is very interesting. I think I am going to have to add it to my Bucket list.

Welcome to the board. beautiful quilt. Good luck with it.

If you try tie Gravity Quilt, be sure to starch all of your fabrics before you cut them out. I use and have had the best results with Sta-Flo starch (pick it up at Walmart), mix it half with water. Dampen your fabrics with water and then spray them with starch. Allow to dry several minutes then iron dry. Is great for piecing especially on bias. Good Luck ! ! !

This quit will have points that have to be points..to make the pattern..that means ..matching seams after seam with exact sewing..also it is not like putting two pieces of straight cut material together..plus do u have a place to lay out your pieces after u cut them..so u can see the pattern as u sew..so u don't get that mix up..it is a beautiful quilt...if u want to do it..remember patients will get u there faster than hurrying..so u can see the end results..

It is a beautiful quilt. As many have said, it does have it's challenges. I, personalty, would go nuts trying to keep track with all those colors, Only you know how badly you want to make this quilt. I have found, If I want to make it badly enough, I can do anything!

Welcome from NE Ohio.

Welcome to the board from Houston, TX. Glad to have you here!

Welcome to the board. I have been drooling on that pattern for months. I have the pattern and I am waiting for the fabric kit to come in. I don't understand the delays as it is a Kona cottons. The colors are what makes a lot of the design. I don't normally buy kits but did for this one. I was talked in to teaching it as a BOM class at the LQS. According to the pattern it is 2 different blocks. It was originally supposed to be out on Feb 5th but still isn't in yet. I was planning on working on it at retreat. I guess that isn't going to happen as retreat is on Friday and I checked this morning and it isn't in.
I haven't thoroughly studied the pattern but I am pretty sure it isn't as bad as it looks. I would guess it would all depend on how skillful you are at sewing and following directions. There are some members of my guild ho have been quilting for years who would never be able to make it. Others are fairly new and it wouldn't be a problem. Maybe one of the LQS is having a class on it? Can't wait to get started on it.

There is a bonus pillow pattern in the back of the pattern book that comes with it. I believe it is being marketed as a BOM.

I just want to add to this exellent advice. Dip your fabric in the liquid starch and water, or spray, until damp, and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes before ironing to get a really crispy ironing job.

There are actually 9 blocks--each diamond shaped. You make 2 of each block, one in each of 2 color ways for every month, with additional months for assembly and the gray to black background. The blocks are not difficult, but if you are an erratic stitcher, you will run into problems with assembling the top-- diamonds need to line up nicely to work out well.

The pillow pattern in the back is a nice way to use up scraps left over from strips cut for the blocks, but it's not really the same kind of construction as the blocks.

I starch very lightly, and have had no issues with stitching the blocks. Keep in mind that the pieces are not tiny, and because they are strip cut, you are not as likely to get distortion of the bias edges as you might if you were cutting many tiny pieces with templates and scissors and handling/ pressing them repeatedly. Also, using the specialty rulers, you cut the angular pieces with blunted tips, which makes precision piecing easier in my experience. Things line up best with this design with pressed open seams, as I mentioned before; not my preference usually, but this is a place where they do work best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ3l1T9eINs

This video will show you how large the pieces are cut.

Julie (Jaybird Quilts) is actually posting about the Gravity quilt on her blog: http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/search/label/Gravity. I subscribe to her blog, so I saw this when the email came, and that was when I decided to do the Gravity quilt as a BOM from an online quilt shop.

YOU CAN DO IT !! the scariest goblins are the ones we create in our minds. make a couple practice blocks and see if it's really hard or just your fears. i do my best when someone tells me i can't do it! bet you do, too.
welcome from philly!

Beautiful quilt! I can see why you want to make it but I think it is a bit ambitious for a beginner quilter. I'm afraid you would get frustrated. One good thing is you have this whole board to help you on it which is a big plus. So good luck if you make the quilt & please post so we can see it

It's fun to read your excitement about the GRAVITY Quilt!

I am hosting a GRAVITY Quilt Along on my blog, Busy hands Quilts. It runs from April 17th through November 13th. We'll assemble two blocks every two weeks for a total of 18 blocks over 9 weeks, then have four weeks to assemble the quilt top and eight weeks to quilt and bind.

The prizes are not to be missed! There is $235 in Gift Certificates plus fabric bundles, tools, books, patterns and more! There will be 11 link-up parties in which prizes will be given away. The Grand Prize is a $100 Gift Certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop + other goodies. I'm giving away a prize package from my stash with all giveaways.

You can read about the GRAVITY Quilt Along HERE.

And GRAVITY Quilt Kits are on sale through today at Craftsy!

I hope you join us! It's so much fun to sew along with others and potentially earn prizes!