Learn to Quilt As You Go with Wendy Chow

Welcome back to the Quilt Goals 2023 challenge!

Hi there! It’s Wendy of The Weekend Quilter here. It’s hard to believe that we’re over the halfway mark of 2023, and as soon as you know it, it will be gifting season. Every year on my list of quilting goals I have make quilted gifts for friends and family. However, during the months leading up to gift exchanges, I procrastinate with other tasks on my to-make list and don’t get around to making until a week before we meet in-person. As a result of that, I have a ton of unfinished projects stuffed away in my quilt closet and end up fighting the last-minute holiday shopping crowd.

This year, I have made the conscious effort to start early, as well as try out a quilting technique and product that I’ve been wanting to tackle for quite some time. It’s June Tailor’s quilt-as-you-go, wine tote bags project.

Quilt-as-you-go is a fun and efficient technique where you piece your quilt top and quilt the project at the same time. There are several ways of approaching this technique. The June Tailor wine tote bag kit makes this incredibly easy with its batting. There are guidelines printed on it showing where to sew and cut, as well as the numbers outlining the order in which the fabric pieces should be sewn. So, think paint-by-numbers, but sew-by-numbers. This was a huge selling point for me as I didn’t have to worry about any quilt math and I knew that I could finish the project in a weekend.

Each quilt-as-you-go kit comes with three wine tote bag templates, each with its own unique design on the one sheet of batting. The finished size of each wine tote is 4in x 16in. You’ll need to supplement the kit with batting spray and fabric (¼ yard each of 6-8 fabrics, ¼ yard for binding and 1 yard for the back).

For my set of three wine tote bags, I used Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids in Latte for the interior, and my curated fat quarter bundle, called Summer Streets, for Art Gallery Fabrics on the bags’ exteriors. All the materials and supplies can be found at the Fat Quarter Shop. And if you’d like to learn more about the Summer Street curated bundle, go check out my blog post at the-weekendquilter.com, as well as download the FREE quilt pattern designed by yours truly that goes with the bundle:

How adorable are these wine tote bags? I’m definitely will be making more of these leading up to this year’s gifting season and it feels great to get a little head start on the holiday making in July!

Each month on the blog a different quilter is sharing part of their journey with us to achieve their quilt goal. Be sure to follow them for inspiration and check back on the blog the 4th Thursday of each month to see their projects and keep up with the fun with #QuiltGoals2023 on Instagram.

February 23: Pat Sloan (@QuilterPatSloan) is sewing Tula Pink’s Butterfly Quilt.
March 23: Melissa Corry (@HappyQuiltingMC) will sew a duffle bag.
April 27: Sherri McConnell (@aQuiltingLife) will make an orange peel project.
May 25: Jemima Flendt (@TiedWithARibbon) plans to teach a friend to quilt.
June 22: Robin Pickens (@RobinPickens) will try her hand at cross stitching.
July 27: Wendy Chow (@the.WeekendQuilter) will make a quilt-as-you-go project.
August 24: Christopher Thompson (@the_tattooed_quilter) will make a bed-sized quilt.
September 28: Shereece Nicole (@SewHookedOnTreasures) has set her sights on a t-shirt quilt.
October 26: I’m going to sew a clamshell quilt!

Are you working on your Quilt Goals this year? How is your progress so far? Leave a comment below and let us know how it’s going. You can also share your updates with #QuiltGoals2023 on Instagram.