Design Wall Monday - September 23, 2024

 Good Morning Quilters!

This UFO that has caused me to struggle in finishing it, has been completed, bound, labeled, and shipped this week to my cousin.   I know she will love it and use it.  This makes me so happy to have such a happy ending,  Here is a picture of “Splendid Sampler Blocks” just before  I mailed it. 

There are so many UFOs patiently waiting their turn, so when one leaves and flies away to a new home, it pleases me so much.  The Splendid Sampler blocks were designed by several quilt designers and were featured by Jane Davidson and Pat Sloan on the internet.  For two years there were free block designs online, and these blocks were from the first year blocks.   They combined each year of blocks into two quilt books:  Splendid Sampler and Splendid Sampler II.

A closeup of one of my favorite blocks:

I started making these 6 inch blocks in 2016, and you can search my blog for the words “Splendid Sampler” if you want more info.  Also their website is  (Here)

What are you starting, working on, or finishing this week?  Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and join the fun.  Thank you for faithfully participating each week.  You are all special to me, and I learn so much from you.  

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Design Wall Monday - August 12, 2024

Goos Morning Quilters!

Today I am telling you the story of a sampler quilt that has been slogging along to the finish line…….but is finally getting a happy ending.

Remember the free internet patterns of “The Splendid Sampler” that Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson put out in 2016? Although I enjoyed making many of the 6 inch block, when it came time to put them together into a cohesive group, I struggled.  And struggled.  Here are pictures of my design wall trials from past blog posts:

This quilt confirmed my decision to quit making sampler quilts…..but I digress.

I did settle on something and sewed it together (again pics from previous blog posts):

So it progressed to a top.   And was sent to be quilted by a long armer.  Then it sat because it needed binding and I didn’t have any more of the green that I wanted to use for binding.  

A cousin visited us recently, that I don’t see very often, and I was showing her my quilt room and some of my finished quilts.  She saw this one in a heap in a corner, and really loved it!  Eureka!  A reason to get it finished and loved by someone.  I am binding it in white, and it will soon be sent to her.  I love happy endings.

Here isa picture of my binding progress this past week:

Do you have any happy endings this week?  Or happy starts?  Please tell us.  Join the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and tell us your story.  Thanks to all who faithfully participate.

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Design Wall Monday - December 4, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

I’ve been sick with congestion and a sore throat, so this week has been a “stay at home and keep my germs to myself” kind of week.  I have been busy in the quilt room though.  The long term redwork quilt is now bound, and ready for a label.  The quilting by Sue Daurio, was simple diamonds, in keeping with the style of old redwork quilts.  I am very happy with how it turned out.  It measures 93 inches square and I am so happy to have this long in process UFO completed.  

I love the border. 

 I think I will leave it out for the Christmas holiday.  For the label, I’m including the extra chickens block, which I made twice by mistake.  It is a cute block, and attests to how long I worked on this quilt, off and on through the years.  I had forgotten that I had previously embroidered it.  

The Splendid Sampler is a quilt top now, shown here on our bed.  Adding the extra blocks to the outside makes it the right size for our king bed.  It is now ready for a long arm quilter.  It’s a whopping 102” square.   I am glad it is no longer a UFO.  Progress rather than perfection.

What are you finishing or starting, or what have you put on hold until after the holidays?  Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and talk to us.

  

This week I hope to get some Christmas decorations up.   I should get some young children to help me - that is what is needed to get me excited about decorating.  Do you have your home ready for the holidays?  

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Design Wall Monday - November 27, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

Well, I succeeded is getting the “Splendid Sampler” blocks sewn together, and it is now off the design wall!  Yeah!   But….

The new development with this quilt is that it looked very small when sewn together.  It needed to be bigger.  Luckily, there was more of the green alternate blocks fabric in my stash.  So more green hst blocks were made and I intend to add a few rows/columns to the outside.  Here is a picture of it as it is right now:

So now it is too big for the design wall, and I have it laid out on the family room floor until the extra blocks get sewn to it.  I am happier with the size now, and it will soon be a top to be sent to a long arm quilter.  Yeah!  Sometimes quilts take many turns before they get finished, and this one sure did.

The next project is a civil war era fabrics hourglass and hst quilt, and I made a start on it this week.  Plus I’ve made some additional hourglass blocks.  

And a small start of sewing the blocks together (2 inch finished size).  This is a 12 x 12 inch start.

I mentioned last week that I have 1,200 two inch finished size hsts in my stash, and several of you asked how that happened.  It is kinda amazing, isn’t it?  Well, I used to be part of a group of quilters in Virginia that has now disbanded.  For quite a few of our semi-annual meetings, we exchanged groups of hsts with each other.  I have kept them together for such a time as this,  They are a great memory of my time in that group, and I am looking forward to using them in the upcoming quilt.

Just as soon as I get the Splendid Sampler sewn together and off the floor.  

What is on your design wall this morning?  Or what is on your design floor?  Thank you for joining in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and letting us know.   I appreciate all of you who faithfully join in each week.  You are special.

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Design Wall Monday - November 20, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

At my recent retreat, several people (me included) were smitten by a vintage quilt, and I talked about it last Monday.  I have decided to make a modified version of it.  Several of you have asked for more details, so I am providing my plans here.  If you would like to make a copy of the original quilt, or make my modified version, please join me in making lots of hourglass blocks.  Here are two pictures, the whole quilt and a close-up:

The quilt has 39 blocks across and 43 blocks down,  all two inch finished quarter-square triangles (also called hourglass blocks).  So the total size is 78 x 86 inches.

There are many ways that you can make the hourglass block, and I googled “hourglass block instructions” to find many good instructions and videos on the internet, if anyone needs help making them.

My version of the quilt is this:  I plan to make the majority of my quilt with two inch finished hsts (half-square triangles) because I happen to have 1,200 of them in my stash that need to be in a quilt. 

My plan is to make a center medallion and also a  border midway into the body of the quilt - both out of newly made hourglass blocks, and then make the majority of the quilt with the hsts that I already have in my stash.  I am making some hourglass blocks this week and forming my quilt plans in my mind.

Also, my design wall will be helpful in planning this new project, so I am sewing the blocks together of the quilt that is on the design wall right now.  This new project provides me incentive to get the old project sewn together and off the design wall.  A win win. Here’s the project on the design wall right now (blocks from The Splendid Sampler of a few years ago) with most of the rows sewn into strips:

  

It will be fun to see this new project come together, and good to use some of the1,200 hsts from my stash.  What are you starting this week, or working on, or finishing?

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Design Wall Monday - October 9, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

I’m still on the subject of sampler quilts.  But I am making progress!  The Splendid Sampler blocks setting design issues have been resolved, and I am relatively happy with the plan to finish this UFO.   Here is the progress I have made:

1) I made a choice of setting design, as per favorable opinions you provided.  Thank you very much!  I am going with this plan:

Since last Monday, I auditioned light and dark solid fabrics for the plain parts:

2) pink and light green:

Result:  A) Too pinky and baby looking for me.  I realized I’m not very fond of pink.  

B)  I eliminated the pink, and used just the light green alternating with white:

Better, but still not enough contrast for me, 

C): Using a dark green gives me the contrast I want.  It still is a sampler look (too busy for me) but I do like it and it is a go to finish up this UFO.

I am glad this project is moving along.  And I think there are only a few more sampler UFOs in my stash.  😊  For sure, I know I am not starting any new ones in the future.  What are you working on this week? 

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Design Wall Monday - October 2, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

Today’s subject is “Sampler Quilts”.  As long as I have been quilting, I’ve been drawn to making little blocks - all different from each other.  I started my quilt journey with the Jane Stickle Quilt, so I think that influenced me a lot. .  And whenever an internet “free block patterns for such and such time of the whatever” is offered, I usually join in.  But now, I’m resisting joining any new ones until I get some of these sampler blocks from my past years made into quilts.

The UFO that is on the design wall this week are blocks from Pat Sloan’s “Splendid Sampler” of a few years ago.  I saw one or two quilt tops that I thought would be something I could do with these blocks, but I’m undecided.  The truth is that I like making the blocks, but together in a quilt top, they are too busy looking.  I have them in a possible setting with an Irish chain alternate block.  And I put four together as I saw this on another person’s Splendid Sampler.  I don’t know if it makes them look more busy or less busy this way.

I am also considering another setting, similar to one of these quilts that I saw on Pinterest.

 I also have a pile of pink small squares pulled from the stash, that could be used as Irish Chain pieces instead of green..  I’m the queen of indecision on sampler blocks and I think it’s because I love each little one, and feel they are so special when I see them all alone……but all together, not so much.  What are your feelings about sampler blocks and sampler quilts?

This is October, another fresh new month ahead of us!  I see lots of possibilities this month of getting some projects moved further along.  I hope you do too.  Please join in our Design Wall Linky Party below and show us what projects you are working/playing with.   Thanks to all you faithful bloggers who participate each week.  I appreciate you!

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