Good Morning! Happy Leap Year Bonus Day! Yesterday was in the 50s and windy and an outdoor day, but today its cooled down to the 30s... a day to spend indoors on the Splendid Sampler quilt-along project.
Since I decided to make 2 different sets of blocks with 2 different groups of fabrics for this project, I have to give each a name to refer to them. Since the first group of fabrics is mostly upholstery fabrics and not necessarily something I'll make a quilt out of, but the one I'll use first to test & hone my skills, I'm going to call it the Skills Sampler.
And the second group of fabrics, mostly made up of old, recycled, hand-me-down and donated fabrics, I'll call the Classics Sampler.
I quilt how I know and try new techniques when I want to, but in general only push myself when I want to (like most of us, I suspect) because I quilt for my own pleasure. But taking on this project, with all 100 blocks from all the different designers, is definitely going to push me into trying many new things, be it color combos, techniques or designs. I'm ready for it!
The Splendid Sampler quilt along project releases blocks on Sunday & Thursday each week, so 5 are already out, including yesterday's. I made them all for my Skills Sampler:
Since I decided to make 2 different sets of blocks with 2 different groups of fabrics for this project, I have to give each a name to refer to them. Since the first group of fabrics is mostly upholstery fabrics and not necessarily something I'll make a quilt out of, but the one I'll use first to test & hone my skills, I'm going to call it the Skills Sampler.
And the second group of fabrics, mostly made up of old, recycled, hand-me-down and donated fabrics, I'll call the Classics Sampler.
I quilt how I know and try new techniques when I want to, but in general only push myself when I want to (like most of us, I suspect) because I quilt for my own pleasure. But taking on this project, with all 100 blocks from all the different designers, is definitely going to push me into trying many new things, be it color combos, techniques or designs. I'm ready for it!
The Splendid Sampler quilt along project releases blocks on Sunday & Thursday each week, so 5 are already out, including yesterday's. I made them all for my Skills Sampler:
The blocks are 6 inches finished. I didn't realize how challenging the small size would be (some pieces are 1" squares), and had to start some over to get them right. But that's the skill building part of the project. And already I've tried new techniques: fusible web and sew-and-flip-corners. Both so easy... why haven't I tried them before?
I'm anxious to make the Classics Sampler blocks now, so I'm putting on a pot of coffee, plugging in my iron and getting back to sewing!
I'm anxious to make the Classics Sampler blocks now, so I'm putting on a pot of coffee, plugging in my iron and getting back to sewing!