Begun in January 2018 and finished this week, sewing this sampler quilt was quite an adventure.
I bought Tula Pink's book City Sampler,100 Modern Quilt Blocks at Capital Quilts, near Washington D.C. while visiting with my daughter Lindsey just before she moved to Detroit. Folks were making a square a day back then and the idea of an ongoing project appealed to me. But a square a day, not so much. So I began "Tula Tuesday", sewing and posting a square a week. I had no plan for the finish, I just added squares to a pile in my sewing studio.
I decided to work from my stash and not buy any new fabric for the quilt. A few weeks into the project I took off in two different directions with my squares, and things got a bit muddled from there. But after a while I found some clarity.
One group of squares came together in a "grandma quilt" I made for myself, to use here in Vermont, when little ones come to stay. You can read about that quilt here.
The other squares were inspired by things going on around here at our "bit of earth". If you use the search box on the right of the page, you can find most of the squares in process. A few of my faves are here, here and here.
I did use stash fabric for the squares, but ended up buying fabric for the backing, binding and the wonky lattice strips that I used to even up my squares. Determined to try a color waaaay out of my comfort zone, I went with an orange the color of bittersweet berries. The backing is a very low volume beige. I took a pic of the back of the quilt spread out on the lawn so you can see the simple quilting I did, and that's an orphan block I plan to use for the label.
That sweet nasturtium block is made with my friend Anne's fabric from Spoonflower.
I am still not sure I love the color choice I made, but I have confidence that it appeals to one of my home decorators, Wilma. And come November, it will add a bit of coziness to our chilly evenings, legs tucked up, with book in hand.
And what luck that my last spool of orange thread made it to the end of the machine binding!
My next project has me pretty excited. I am working on a photo book. I plan to have the quilt square on the left hand page and the photo inspiration on the right hand page, creating a spread for each of the 35 squares.
Do you have a fave vendor for photo books? Give me a holler if you do! Thanks. xo
The other squares were inspired by things going on around here at our "bit of earth". If you use the search box on the right of the page, you can find most of the squares in process. A few of my faves are here, here and here.
I did use stash fabric for the squares, but ended up buying fabric for the backing, binding and the wonky lattice strips that I used to even up my squares. Determined to try a color waaaay out of my comfort zone, I went with an orange the color of bittersweet berries. The backing is a very low volume beige. I took a pic of the back of the quilt spread out on the lawn so you can see the simple quilting I did, and that's an orphan block I plan to use for the label.
That sweet nasturtium block is made with my friend Anne's fabric from Spoonflower.
I am still not sure I love the color choice I made, but I have confidence that it appeals to one of my home decorators, Wilma. And come November, it will add a bit of coziness to our chilly evenings, legs tucked up, with book in hand.
And what luck that my last spool of orange thread made it to the end of the machine binding!
My next project has me pretty excited. I am working on a photo book. I plan to have the quilt square on the left hand page and the photo inspiration on the right hand page, creating a spread for each of the 35 squares.
Do you have a fave vendor for photo books? Give me a holler if you do! Thanks. xo
Oh, Karen, I love this quilt! The "bittersweet orange" background fabric, is (in my opinion, anyway) perfect! It makes me think of honey. Sweet!
ReplyDeleteOh thank you, friend! You are so kind. xo
DeleteI love this quilt and especially the color! I did the City Sampler a couple of years ago, also decided to use only what I had in my stash. Turned out to be one of my favorite quilts!
ReplyDeleteA City Sampler kindred spirit! So nice to “meet” you. Thanks for popping by and leaving a comment.
DeleteNot sure which I find more lovely, Karen. The quilt or the story behind it. Love the idea of a book. I've just keep a 3 ring binder of my works so far. Because your "bit of earth" inspirations are the genesis of so many blocks, a book of tells is brilliant! Can't wait to see it too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sharon! The book may take a while, but so did the quilt!🤣
DeleteGreat quilt result! I love it! I like your colour combination. It is always nice to be able to use fabric from your stash...
ReplyDeletexx
Thanks Radka! These crazy times seem like a great opportunity to use up the stash!
DeleteOh wow, Karen! This is wonderful. Love seeing my nasturtiums, too. :)
ReplyDeleteThe photo book is such a great idea! I can't wait to see it. I've heard good things about Blurb and have bought a couple books from them (but haven't made one of my own). They're pricy, but often have sales. My only complaint is that the softcover version doesn't have an option for a matte cover. The glossy cover just doesn't look as nice in my opinion.
Oh thanks for the tips Anne! And I still have a pile of veggie fat quarters of yours...xo
DeleteI love the colors and your photo book idea is brilliant! Lately, I've been thinking about creating an "archive" for my projects and a photo book might be a great way to do that.
ReplyDelete