Finally Finished Sampler Quilt

Do you have any of those quilting WIPS (Works In Progress) that you’ve been working on in various stages for years? Well I finally finished one of mine – this Sampler Quilt –  and I’m ready to share it. It was also a great quit for using up fabrics in my stash and putting them to work.

I started these quilt blocks as part of the Fat Quarter Shop Patchwork Quilt Along in 2017 (yikes – I can’t believe how fast time flies). I’ve been talking about finishing this WIP  – and the pieced blocks have been folded and sitting in a stack in my sewing room along with the fabrics for the borders for over 2 years now. 

All of the quilt blocks are 5″ x 5″ and all of the block patterns are still available at the Fat Quarter Shop blog.

I used the Bonnie and Camille fabrics that the Fat Quarter Shop provided as part of the quilt along to make all of my blocks. I don’t think I’ve ever completed this many small patchwork blocks for one quilt.

But as you can see, I decided to be a rebel and layout my blocks differently that the pattern in the original quilt along. I wanted to make my quit a little bigger as well, so instead of sashing the blocks I decided to sew the quilt blocks together on point, alternating with a all-over-blue-with-white-dots print for the background.

This tutorial shows how to sew blocks together on point. In that tutorial I was using precut 5″ x 5″ squares.

For this project, the unfinished size of the pieced blocks is 5 ½″ x 5 ½″ so I cut the blue offsetting squares the same size.

This blue with white dots was a print from an even older Bonnie and Camille collection (I’m thinking 2013 ish) and I had yards of it in my stash – saved for a perfect background – that I needed to use up. This was the perfect project!

The borders and backing are other Bonnie & Camille prints that were patiently waiting in my stash – along with the backing, which I think is one of my very favorites of their prints. I’d been hording for a quilt back forever to. And this was the perfect use!

I think I’ve finally reached the point (at least I’m telling myself that I have) of, “NO MORE HOARDING. Just USE the fabric already.” I’ve been doing this long enough that I see my tastes and preferences in colors and styles changing over time and I’d rather just use up the fabric while I love it.

Quilting on this quilt was done by Melissa at Sew Shabby Quilting using a traditional Baptist Fan design. Baptist Fan is one of my favorite go-to quilt designs – it’s a classic quilting motif and gives the quilt great overall texture.

Since this quilt was started over 5 years ago, most (if not all) of these fabrics are now out of print. But you can still find lot’s of similar Bonnie and Camille prints on Etsy.

Another great thing about WIPS – they’re a good project when your sewing mojo (or Sewjo) is wanting. Pulling out a project that’s already far along can motivate you to get something done.

Holly Lesue from Maker Valley also has some great tips for helping you get your WIPS organized and finished.

 

Now this quilt is headed for the washing machine to soften up into some crinkly, cuddly goodness. I’m thinking this will make the perfect nap quilt. 

Hooray! It’s finally finished!