Summer Sampler Series: the final product!

I can finally say I've reached one of my long-standing {quilting} goals. I sucked it up and learned to free-motion quilt! I've been quilting for 2 years and this has been a goal for most of that time. I made one other attempt a while back, and it went badly. Very badly. So I put it on the back burner and decided not to worry about it. This summer I decided it was time. I have learned a lot in the past year and have become a much better quilter and I felt I was ready. Scared, but ready. I know I've mentioned it before, but the summer sampler series quilt was one that I made specifically with free-motion quilting it in mind since I had no recipient in mind so I was less worried about messing it up. I wanted to practice on something smaller first though, which is why I made the carpenter's wheel block.

I finished that up pretty quickly and it went alright. Not great. There are some definitely tension problems on the back, but at least I was able to fix them (for the most part) on the sampler quilt. It came out pretty well. I wrapped the backing around for binding and machine stitched it down. I don't really know what to do with it now that it's done, but I suppose that is neither here nor there.


After a bit of practice I was ready to tackle the quilt. I used gray thread to go with the sashing and it worked out well. It stands out a bit on the white, but I thought white on the gray would have stood out more. I just did an all over meandering stipple and although it is far from perfect, I am really proud of it. I got a few puckers of fabric that are pretty bad, a couple on the edges of the front and a couple in different places on the back, but especially now that it is washed and so beautifully crinkled, it isn't as noticeable.

I am really glad I chose the gray sashing, I think it tones it down a bit and makes each block a work of art, which I think is appropriate considering the amount of work that went into them. The back and the binding are both scrappy. I didn't feel like going to the store to find anything so I worked with what I had and I am really happy with it. It is so strange to have allover quilting instead of something the follows or doesn't intrude on the design, but I love it a little :)



This quilt was such a great learning experience for me. I feel like my piecing improved and I learned some new skills making the blocks (paper piecing!) and I tried some new blocks that I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to try on my own. To top it off I had my first successful free-motion quilting experience. I am so proud of this quilt so for now it is going to hang out in the living room where my little lady can roll around on it (she loves my quilts and lays her head on them and rolls all the time. It is hilarious. It also makes me want to make her more things since she obviously loves them :) I'm a sucker.). I am already figuring out what quilt I can make next to practice some more quilting!

Summer Sampler Series: week 4

Here we are, the 4th and final installment of blocks for the Summer Sampler Series. Hard to believe I made it to the end. It has been a lot of fun and I have learned a lot. Mostly paper piecing, which I don't love since I feel like it wastes fabric and paper and dulls my needles and takes so much time....but I have to admit it sure helps make some pretty cool blocks. This week's blocks were pretty good and really round out the collection. I am loving the way they all look together and hope to get it sashed and have a completed quilt top this week :)

Block #10 - Evening Star

I really like this one. It wasn't too hard either.

Block #11 - Rocky Road to Kansas

I don't love this one. I think it is mostly the blue background, that was probably a mistake. I wanted a color background though instead of white and this was the fabric that I hadn't used in the strips/had enough of. I just think it's too overwhelming. So there you have it.

Block #12 - Kansas Dust Storm

This one gave me some trouble. The 3 different templates were a bit much and I had a hard time keeping the colors straight since the one posted has them reversed. And I ended up having a trimming mishap and had to scrounge fabric to fix that piece....and ripping small stitches out of paper without ripping the paper-not fun! But I survived and it came out looking good.

And here are all 12 blocks together! I love it!! It actually ended up with pretty good color balance. Now I just have to decide how to arrange the blocks.


I am hoping I have enough scraps to make a scrappy binding out of the leftovers...I'll have to check that out. I will be sashing it with gray and I am considering a pink back since I think I already have some. I will see what I have left after I make binding and figure out the back then. Once I get it all together it is destined for some FMQ practice. In fact it will be my first FMQ quilt I believe. I am actually in the process of making a small wall hanging/mini quilt to practice on first, so hopefully I'll get going on all that in the next few weeks. I am nervous and excited. I need to start doodling on paper to get myself used to the motions...I should get on that....

Summer Sampler Series - Week 3

What a weekend! We traveled down to see our families for my sister's graduation party (that ended up not happening) this past weekend and it was crazy. And good. And tired. And I sure missed my sewing time! And even though I brought my hexies to work on, I ended up starting a crochet blanket instead. Oops :) It sure is pretty so far, although who knows how long it will take me to finish it. I think crochet is my new favorite car craft, easier than a little sewing needle and my elbows don't hit the car door like knitting. Anyway, moving on.

So I spent today trying to get myself organized and catch up on everything. The only thing I actually managed to complete was my 9th block for the summer sampler so I am caught up through last week :) I'm not sure why it took me all day to do this, I think I was just being easily distracted. Somehow it takes me a while to get back in the swing of things after traveling. But it is done, and I am really happy with how this blanket is shaping up so far.

Block #7 - Six Pointed String Star

I love, love, love the way this came out. It may be my favorite. It looks so cool! I did the strip piecing and used 2 - 1.5" strips and 1- 2" strip per triangle (to cover the larger seam allowance at the point) and it came out perfect. You can really see the hexagons it forms. I kinda wish I'd done wonky ones, but this looks so nice and now I know how for another time :)

Block #8 - Lucky Pieces

This is so not my favorite block. I think it is partly the fabrics I used, but for whatever reason, I just don't love it. Maybe if it was more like the one that Rachel at Stitched in Color did....but anyway, it looks good with the others.

Block #9 - Minnesota block

This one is growing on me. I like it more the more I look at it, but again, not a favorite. I really wanted another block with a color background since the star block has a green/blue one, and it seemed a good idea to make one pink and yellow. I think I need one more with a colorful background for balance, so I will have to remember that this week. The only thing annoying me about this one is that I had wanted to do the hour glass squares alternating, but somewhere along the line I switched them. I like it though and I'm not worried enough to rip it out.

And here are all 9 together. I can't wait to add the last 3! I am already working on the Monday block this week! I love this quilt so far, I think maybe I'll go pick up some sashing this week.


And now I'm off to continue playing catch-up. I have a skill builder block to do, some FW blocks, the next block for this and I am hoping to start cutting some swoon blocks!

Summer Sampler Series - Week 2

Here we are, halfway through this quilt along! This week we started to get into some more difficult things like paper piecing, and it has been fun.

Block #4 - Flower Garden Path

I actually spent all week avoiding this block because I didn't feel like making more half square triangles and I wasn't sure how I wanted to do the colors. It turns out this is one of my favorite blocks. I just love it! Having one color per quadrant looks awesome and my points are all there and things line up near perfectly. I am still sick of half square triangles though...

Block #5 - Star

This was the first paper pieced block. I did a bit of paper piecing for the urban lattice quilt, but this was a slightly more complicated design. I actually meant to have the green and blue as the background diamond but somewhere along the way I reversed it. I think it worked out for the best though, I really like it this way.

Block #6 - Arkansas Traveler

a.k.a. pure evil. This block and I were not friends. We now tolerate each other, mostly because I have finished torturing it and it looks so stinking pretty, but we had a rough day yesterday. To begin with, I didn't love cutting out the diamonds, I had a hard time getting my ruler to cooperate so I actually did the first one and then cut a cardboard template to use for the rest. That made things a bit better. Then I went to sew the diamonds together and the center seam was totally off. Like woah. So out came the seam ripper (it really takes a lot for me to rip out a seam). So I got those together and the second part was paper piecing the background which wasn't bad. Then we came to the final step where I was sewing the two completed halves together and let me tell you, that thing was a beast! It was so thick in the middle I seriously broke the thread 8-10 times and actually had my needle snap. It was bad. But I pushed through and finished it and I am happy with the result.

And this is how my quilt is shaping up. I love the bright happy colors!

I can't wait to see all 12 blocks together. This week I am trying to stay on top of the blocks since I am supposed to go to my sisters graduation party this weekend and consequently can't sew. I don't want to fall too behind!

Summer Sampler Series

Have you seen the summer sampler series going on at Swim, Bike, Quilt, Fresh Lemons Quilts, and Freshly Pieced? I gave in. There are some really cool blocks. And once I thought of a color combo I liked, it was all over and I just couldn't help myself. One trip to Joann's later and I had a nice stack of fabric to play with (I am a sucker for $0.99 fat quarters).


My justification for making this quilt: I plan to use it to practice free motion quilting. I keep wanting to do that, but it is harder when a recipient is already picked out and I get too scared to try it for fear of them not liking it. I just know it is going to take some work to get good at it and I really need something fairly large to practice on. And this should end up about baby size, so it should be perfect.

Enough justification and on to the blocks! So far there have been 3 blocks posted (another is coming today). First up, the Star of Virginia block:


I decided to go with just 2 colors since I couldn't figure out how to include all 4 and keep it balanced. It was a fairly easy block, but I had never made flying geese this way, I've always used rectangles and squares. It didn't come out perfect, they points don't all meet exactly like they are supposed to, but it looks pretty good.

Next up was the Greek Cross:

I figured since the first used 2 colors, this would use the other 2 and round it out. I like it a lot actually. It is a really cool block that I think I would like to use for a whole quilt at some point.

Finally was a Mosaic block:

I didn't know how much I liked this design, but once it was all together I loved it! I love the colors together. And even thought it was all HSTs and involved a lot of tedious trimming, it came out really well. I don't usually trim my HSTs (I prefer to do the 7/8 thing so they are exact) but I've had to for a bunch of blocks recently. Not surprisingly, they do come out a lot nicer, but I don't know if I could handle it for a whole quilt.

I am loving the bright summery colors! It is going to be a really sweet quilt, and I am thinking some medium-dark gray sashing will really make it.


One thing I really like about all these samplers, there is so much less pressure when you are only doing one block, so you can really focus on it and make it perfect knowing that you only have to do it once. At least that's how I feel about it. I am really looking forward to the next 3 blocks. They should be getting harder this week I think so we'll see how it goes.