My Own Modern Sampler: It may take a year!

I’ve had some beautiful solids and black/white text prints in a box waiting for me to have time for them, and I’ve been studying all my favorite inspirations trying to decide how to use this stash.

Quilt-in-Waiting

Then it came to me: I don’t have to choose! I’ve been wanting to make my own modern sampler quilt for some time, and this is it. I’m going to make lots of different blocks, JUST BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE THEM and then combine them into this quilt.

Here’s how it will go: I’ll make a block whenever it strikes my fancy and will post about it here in case you want to make it, too. Some will be original, some traditional or designed by other quilters. I’ll make a quilt when I have enough blocks, but I’m giving myself a year. Blocks will range in size from 3″ to 12″ and they won’t all be square!

Here are the first couple:

Two 9-patch blocks cut freehand; these finish 6 inches square

Obviously the 9-patch isn’t a new block, and there are “modern crosses” all over the web, like this one from Allison at CluckCluckSew, so my idea isn’t unusual.

Quilt by Allison at CluckCluckSew.com

The point is, I enjoyed doing it! These blocks are just for fun.

I figure these are too easy to require instructions, but I blogged about how to insert those narrow yellow bands, so check it out here if you want to know how I did it. And, since they are cut freehand and end up a little wonky, I started with 8 inch squares to get 6 inch finished-size blocks.

I hope you’ll follow along with my sampler even if you don’t make the blocks. I’ve already made the next two (which are far fancier than these), and I’ll blog about them next week!

9 thoughts on “My Own Modern Sampler: It may take a year!”

I LOVE those fabrics…ALL of them!! A few months back I was looking for a print similar to newspaper, something like your fabric at the bottom of the middle row…do you happen to remember where you got that?
I’ll be watching to see how you use all these beautiful prints and colors!

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zippyquilts on March 15, 2015 at 8:46 am said:

Hi Sharon,
Thanks for following! The print you mention is an Alison Glass (for Andover Fabrics) that I bought at Stash Fabrics. I am 90 minutes away from any “local” quilt shop, so I get lots of fabric online. Stash Fabrics has some nice bundles that I go drool over from time to time (and no, I don’t get a kickback for mentioning them). The solids are Alyssa Carlton’s Modern Solids II, which I love because they are a cross-weave or chambray type fabric with different colored warp and weft. Also, I’ve found some of the prints in the stack just by Googling “text print fabric”. Good luck finding what you want! Mary

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Sounds like a good solution to “what to do with these?” I like samplers because I get bored doing the same block over and over. Though I do doit sometimes. I also like your idea of varied sizes and shapes. Will be watching.

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zippyquilts on March 17, 2015 at 2:03 pm said:

Thank you! Indeed, part of my definition of a modern quilter is somebody who will NOT make many multiples of the same block 😉

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