Summer Sampler Series: My Finished Top
Summer is winding down—the cicadas are buzzing, summer activities are wrapping up, and the kids are getting ready to go back to school. So it's only fitting that I'm wrapping up my "summer of the sampler quilt" with a finished sampler top!
I just couldn't be happier with how this top turned out. I think it's clear that the Encyclopedia Of Pieced Quilt Patterns is a gold mine of design possibilities—I can't wait to scour it for more gems like the blocks above.
To finish the top, I decided to sash the blocks in white. I wanted the sashing to look more like background than actual sashing. With white sashing, a white border, and a fair amount of white in the blocks themselves, the blocks look like they're floating in a field of white instead of trapped in block-sized boxes. And all the white keeps the focus on these fabulous blocks, rather than distracting from them. To add just a bit of additional interest, I made teeny pinwheels for cornerstones.
White is still my go-to neutral background color. Yes, even with grubby little hands around. Kona Coal and Kona Stone are fun ways to mix things up sometimes, but I still think there's nothing like fresh clean white in a quilt. It really brings the contrast like nothing else. Plus, the more a quilt is washed and used, the softer it gets, right? For anyone looking to do something similar for their Summer Sampler quilt, here are some specifics on my sashing and border. You will need 1.75 yards of fabric for the sashing and borders.- For borders, cut 2 strips 4" x 54," and 2 strips, 4" x 48"- For sashing, cut 15 strips, 2.5" x 12.5"- For pinwheels, from background/sashing fabric, cut 12 squares 2" x 2", and from prints, cut 12 squares 2" x 2" (2 squares each from 6 prints)Use the 2" squares to make half-square triangles, and trim the HSTs to 1.5" square. Sew together the HSTs to make 2.5" square pinwheels. Assemble blocks with sashing and pinwheels, then add borders, starting with the longer border strips along the long sides of the quilt.
1. SSS12, 2. Summer series block 8 , 3. Untitled, 4. SummerSampler.FlowerGardenPath, 5. Evening Star Block for Charity Quilt for KMQG, 6. Minnesota, 7. Block # 12: Kansas Dust Storm, 8. Star of Virginia Block, 9. sharp., 10. SummerSampler.GreekCross0001, 11. SSS8, 12. Summer SamplerI want to thank each and every one of you for quilting along with Faith, Kate, and me! You all are a huge part of what made this QA so enjoyable. Above are just a few of the fabulous blocks from the Flickr group. Enjoy, and I can't wait to see all your finished quilts!