It’s over! Yesterday we posted the last block — #100 — and now everyone is finishing their quilt tops or showing pictures of their completed quilts. It’s wonderful to see how many variations of quilts are being created from the same set of blocks. But I’m getting ahead of myself — first, here are the…
Tag: sampler
This (Almost Final) Week in the City Sampler
Just two more blocks to go after this batch and the sew-along will be done. At the moment I’m sewing the blocks and sashing into rows and I love how it’s coming together! For now, here are blocks 92-98: Only two more! I’m hoping to have the top pieced by the end of next week,…
This Week in the City Sampler
This week goes all the way to block 91 — almost there! I actually just finished sewing all the blocks today, and finally have them up on my new design wall so I can decide what order to put them in for the finished quilt top. My quilt is called Hello, Seattle because I moved…
This Week in the City Sampler
It’s so exciting to see all the blocks coming together as we get closer to the end of this project. Other quilters have been posting collages of their blocks together and I’m impatient to see everyone’s completed quilt tops. We still have a few blocks to go, though. This week is all about squares, or…
This week in the City Sampler
We’re getting close! This week we passed #75, three-fourths of the way through the project. I’m more or less settled in the new place — at least, both my sewing machine and my computer are set up and operational. That counts, right? — and so far I’m still keeping up with the daily block schedule….
This Week in the City Sampler
The Move happened this week, so some of these blocks were made right before I left and the rest were made right after I got there. Naturally, the sewing machine was the last thing I packed, and I carried it in the car along with all the basics I would need to keep going on…
This Week in the City Sampler
It’s moving day and the truck will be here any moment… so this is short and sweet! This week’s lineup: (At this point the movers arrived, so I showed them around and am now hastily finishing the post so I can pack up my computer… always the last thing to go!) That’s it for this…
This Week in the City Sampler
Here’s this week’s roundup, which thankfully includes the last of the Triangles section. See that first block? I had to pull it apart and redo it because the first time my 1/4″ seam gauge was in the wrong place. Just a tiny bit, ever so slightly, wrong. But it adds up when you put that…
This Week in the City Sampler
The end of the triangles is in sight, but not this week. More adventures in diagonal piecing! And let’s just lightly gloss over the top edge of block #43. I’ll make it work, but… it wasn’t my proudest moment. Next week: More triangles, including a block I had to pull apart and completely redo, and…
This Week in the City Sampler
We’re hip-deep in triangles now and I’m having mixed results. For the life of me I can’t put two pieces together and get a correctly-sized half-square triangle the first time. When I use the oversized method to make multiple half-square triangles and trim them down, they are perfect. (I mean, naturally! They’re oversized and then…
Block 20 Nature’s Walk
I almost didn’t do this block because I was intimidated by the embroidery, but I couldn’t resist the ladybugs. So I got out my book of embroidery stitches, watched some YouTube tutorials, and queued up Pride and Prejudice (the one with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, featuring six hours of young women for whom embroidery…
This Week in the City Sampler
I have a confession to make. I am not posting this from my desk at home. I am at this very moment cruising along the lovely Douro River in Portugal, enjoying some delicious wine and a relaxing break from the madness of packing. But that will not stop the blocks from coming, oh, no! Here…
Block 15 Family Affair
When I saw the pattern for this block I was sure I was never going to get it to work. Look at all those matching points and seams! No way, not even with paper piecing! To my surprise, and to the credit of block designer Janice Ryan, it came out great. Not everything matches up…
Block 13 Scrap Stars
My version of Scrap Stars differs a little from the original pattern. Let’s say I was making the best of a measuring error and leave it at that 🙂 My block frame is different, and I chose to use only two fabrics instead of the scrappy mixture that the designer Corey Yoder used so effectively….
This Week in the City Sampler
I’m still keeping up with the daily block for the Tula Pink City Sampler, despite packing up to move. My quilt room will be the last place I pack, of course 😉 Here are this week’s blocks — still in the “rectangles” section: I’m mostly pleased with them, especially the last one. I was very…
Block 10 Iowa
This block came together very quickly, but it took me a long time to decide how to quilt it. I didn’t want to lose the ring, so I knew I wanted to treat all the green patches (center and corners) as background. I decided to do a small-scale meander there to make them recede. I…
Block 8 Friends Around the Square
I was practicing dot-to-dot free motion quilting when this block came up in the rotation, so I used that technique to quilt it. For the dark red triangles, I drew a line with a chalk pencil from each corner of the block to the middle of the base of each triangle, then marked 2 points…
This Week in the City Sampler
We finished the first section, crosses, and have moved into rectangles — easy to cut, easy to piece! Here is this week’s lineup of Tula Pink City Sampler blocks: I’ve started keeping track of the number of blocks I need in each color combination to achieve the rainbow effect in the Gridlock layout. I’m trying…
Block 6 Focal Point
This block, designed by one of my quilting idols (Natalia Bonner), reminds me of opening or unfolding an origami box. I loved the way it came together when I was piecing it and I enjoyed planning how to quilt it, too. First, I echoed outside the center square to pop it up a little. Then…
Block 3 Lots of Love
I remember making this block, waaaay back at the start of the Splendid Sampler in early 2016. The heart in the lower right corner came out very uneven because I didn’t pay attention to my seam allowance. As a result, the block was the wrong size and was noticeably crooked. I left it on my…
This Week in the City Sampler
Week two is done — seven more blocks! I’ve decided to name this quilt “Hello, Seattle” in honor of my upcoming move to that city, which will happen in the middle of this sew-along. This week’s roundup: This week’s lineup features several prints from Tula Pink (blocks 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14) along with…
Extra Block: The Magic of Christmas
Quilting on reverse of The Magic of Christmas This block was fun to make. I used three different white-on-white prints for the background and a leftover bit of a favorite dark red for the star. I wanted the quilting to make the star look like it was shining, so I added straight lines that radiate…
Block 1 Hearts Aflutter
Hearts Aflutter was the very first block to be released for the Splendid Sampler! This was my second attempt at quilting feathers inside a heart shape, and I think it came out a little bit better than the first one. My first attempt was on Block 29, Scrappy Happy Heart. You can tell this one…
This week in the City Sampler
I am having so much fun doing the City Sampler sew-along! One block per day for 100 days, started on July 7, 2018. Here are my first seven blocks: I love them all but I think Block #3 is my favorite of this set. Which do you like best? These blocks are from Tula Pink’s…
Block 69 Full Circle
I really like how the quilting came out on this block! It was a little tricky to piece, but definitely worth it. When I quilted it, I wanted to emphasize the stripes in the top half of the circle, so I quilted straight lines about 1/4″ or so apart. In the bottom half, I used…
Bonus Block: Top of the Hill
I like the quilting in the hill and in the background on this block, but I’m not as happy with the echoed circles inside the sun (or moon, if you prefer). They aren’t as even as I’d like. I went a little too fast, I think. They do give it a sketched look that’s kind…
Tula Pink’s City Sampler Sew-Along by Gnome Angel
I’m starting a new quilt! What, is that weird? Just because I already have 7 quilts in progress? Oh, wait, 8, counting my hand quilting project. Where was I? I’ve had the City Sampler book by Tula Pink for a while, and I’ve become a bit of a Tula fangirl. I’ve been meaning to make…
Block 70 Bows
This block makes me laugh every time I see it. Two of my bows are pointing in the wrong direction, and I didn’t notice at all until I sat down to quilt the block! I remember carefully arranging them, too, thinking I was doing it correctly. Hah! Funny how you can just not notice something…
Extra block: Susan’s Valentine
Embroidery is not my favorite stitching activity. For one thing, I have a cat who will happily shred any embroidered quilt that I put on a bed or couch, so including an embroidered block automatically means the quilt will either need to be hung on the wall or hidden away. However, the Splendid Sampler included…
Block 64 Rising Star
This one was fun to make. I really like the secondary pattern made by the orange corners, even if mine don’t quite line up perfectly 😉 For the quilting, I wanted to practice dot-to-dot free motion quilting in the outer squares. I used a chalk pencil to draw a diagonal line across each square connecting…
Bonus Block: Butterfly Charm Block (Pepper)
I included this block in my Splendid Sampler quilt because I came across the pattern while working on the Sampler and it delighted me. I added a little extra framing to make it the right size, since the pattern has the blocks finishing at 5″ instead of the 6″ needed for the Sampler. I love…
Block 58 Homeward Bound
Quilting on reverse of block 58 Homeward Bound I love this block design! I really like flying geese blocks, though I don’t use them often, and the graduated color and scale in this one are very pleasing. With the quilting, I wanted to emphasize the sense of motion by making lines that ‘stream’ out from…
Block 52 Coneflower
Quilting on reverse of block 52 Coneflower I’m still working out good approaches for quilting on and around appliqué and embroidery. For this block, I wanted to suggest the bumpy texture of the center of the flower, so I quilted some loops in there. I also wanted the appliqué to stand out, so I echoed…
Block 34 Lemonade
This was another easy and fun block to make. Since there were only two small curved patches, I did them by hand. I chose simple quilting, just a wishbone inside the lemon, echoing outside, and some light outlining to set off the white square and the corners. I used a thread that would show up…
Block 29 Scrappy Happy Heart
One of the nicest things about joining the Splendid Sampler Quilt-Along was discovering new (to me) quilters and designers. Christa Watson, who designed this block, was one of those discoveries. I love her blog and her easy and happy quilt designs. This was one of my favorite blocks to piece. I have mixed feelings about…
Block 22 Goose on the Loose
I’m working my way through these blocks! At this point, all the piecing and setting is done (I made 70 blocks in all) and I’m quilting each one. I chose quilt-as-you-go so that I could easily do custom quilting on every block. Once I’ve quilted them all, I’ll join them together, add the backing, and…
Block 21 Sweet Candy
When I chose the quilting for this block, I decided to echo the candy theme with some ribbon candy in the center square and then use loops in the orange triangles to suggest the crinkly edges of a candy wrapper. I practiced continuous curves in the lighter background squares (clearly, more practice is needed) and…
Block 16 Pieces of Friendship
I love how this block comes together. It looks complicated, but Lindsay’s design is deceptively simple. When this block came up in my to-quilt pile, I had just learned the fern design (Angela Walters again, I love her Craftsy classes) and I wanted to practice it, so I decided to use it in the dark…
Block 5 Simple Simon
Simple Simon was easy and fun to make. I wanted the quilting to emphasize the gold stripes, so I didn’t quilt over them. I also wanted to enhance the contrast between the light green and dark green background squares. I did a simple back and forth line in the lighter squares, and I practiced the…
Block 24 Inspector Sidekick
My flying geese are improving! I still cut the points off where they meet the borders, but the inside ones came out pretty well, and the seams match up (mostly) inside the block. I’m making progress! I chose continuous curve and echoing for the quilting. I did the center square first, and had to break…
Extra Block: String Hearts Variation
This block was inspired by the blocks in Elizabeth Dackson’s String Heart quilt combined with my desire to use up some skinny scraps from other Splendid Sampler blocks. She posted the original pattern and tutorial in 2013 but I found it in 2016, so the block ended up in my sampler quilt. The free pattern…
Bonus Block: Earth Day
This bonus block was released in honor of Earth Day, April 22, 2016. To make it, I broke my rule of not using blue in my blocks (I set up that constraint to challenge myself to explore other colors, because I love blue) because the earth in the center is supposed to be blue and…
Block 40 Flights of Friendship
I love this block design, and I don’t love how I quilted it. Definitely a live-and-learn moment. The block features four happy little dancing stars. In the original pattern, the stars are colorful and the background is plain, but I saw another quilter’s variation (she is Rat Ferré from Barcelona, but I can’t find her…
Block 18 Lina’s Gift
This is my first basket block ever! The basket is a traditional quilting design with lots of variations. I’m pleased with the colors I chose even though it didn’t come out looking basket-like. It looks more like the bear’s paw block because I chose a dark green instead of a lighter background color for the triangle…
Block 17 Family Stars
I like the hidden star in the center of this block. It was a little fiddly to do all the tiny flying geese units (which just means I need more practice), and I definitely stunted some of the points on the stars, but I love the way it sparkles on the block. I wanted the…
Block 4 Happy, Happy
I enjoy appliqué, so this block was fun to do. When it was time to quilt it, I wanted the little flower circles to pop up and the background to recede, so I echoed around the shape of the vase and flowers and then quilted close back & forth lines in the background squares. I…
Block 71 First Stitch
I’ll admit I have mixed feelings about how I quilted this one. I tried some big-little loops in the yellow pieces but they don’t thrill me. The rest looks fine, but I had to break thread a bunch of times to make it work out in the pattern I wanted. I was kind of glad…
Bonus block: Inside Out
I had a lot of fun making this block and deciding how to orient the four log cabin units. Pat Sloan designed it and she shows three different layouts in the pattern (I think I used a fourth). When it came to quilting it, I wanted to use a design that contrasted with the angles…
Block 48 Whim
I decided to use an allover design to quilt Whim and went with an echoed paisley that I’m trying to improve. It’s one that Angela Walters does in a lot of her videos. I’m struggling a little with the teardrop shape, but I’m getting there! I like the way it looks on this block. I…
Block 39 Balls in the Air
This one was tricky to piece with all the little tiny slices! I accidentally skipped a step at one point and had to pick out a seam and re-do it. But it came out all right in the end. I went with very simple quilting that pressed down the dark green spears to make them…