Simple Simon and Focal Point - The Splendid Sampler

Simple Simon

Focal Point

These are blocks #5 - Simple Simon and #6 - Focal Point in the Splendid Sampler.  I spend sometime last week sorting all my scraps in to bins that organize them by shape...strips, squares and triangles.  While I was at it I picked out what I wanted to use for these blocks and a couple of others.   Both went together pretty quickly.   All the blocks that have be released so far have been fantastic but I've decided to only make the ones that I'm drawn to the most.  I want this to be a fun, relaxing, no pressure project.

Hearts A Flutter - The Splendid Sampler

My little block made it into the collage shared on the Moda Fabrics blog!

 

 So I'm sure by now, that if you are into quilting you've heard of The Splendid Sampler quilt a long being lead by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson.  Its been kind of hard not too..it's everywhere!  The Facebook group has over 14,000 members and lots of people are sharing on Instagram as well.  

I didn't plan to participate, as I have enough projects started and not finished around here.  But Sunday evening, while my husband was working on homework for school, I wanted a quick sew.  I knew that the first block pattern had been released, so I dug through my scrap bins and got to work.  This block was quick, from start to finish it probably only took about 15 minutes to make.  

I don't know if I'll make all 100 blocks in the quilt a long.  Or just the ones that I like best.  The only thing I am planning to do is use scraps and fill in with stash fabrics as needed to make the the blocks.  I'm not putting any pressure on myself...it's just for fun.

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday, Sew Cute Tuesday and The Splendid Sampler- Block 1

#igtqb collaboration

It started with this...

And this!

Then these two blocks were made....

then these beautiful EPP hexies...

and this fantastic Swoon block...

these colorful x-blocks were added...

throw in some colorful pluses...

more beautiful hexies...

three incredible star-plus blocks....

and some very colorful HST's...

  And you get this...

This is the most incredible collaborative project ever!  Back in March I joined with a group of ladies on Instagram to start a group of traveling quilts.  I made the first two blocks and sent them off, since then the have traveled all over the US and Canada to become this beautiful quilt top that I received back yesterday.   Over the last several months I had only seen small peaks at what they other ladies were adding and I was so excited when I picked up the box it arrived in at the post office last night. This beauty is big...measuring in at 84"x 68".  I had to bring in a ladder to get a good picture of the whole thing and it took up my whole living room floor!

Thank you Lindsey, Kristine, Dyan, Mary, Samantha, Katie, Nicole and Robin!

If you are on Instagram and you'd like to see more or check out the other finished quilts look up #igtqb.

Linking up Show and Tell over at I Have to Say and Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story.

Owl and Geese Mini Quilt

 

Through Instagram I heard that Kristi from Schnitzel and Boo was organizing a mini quilt swap. I'd done a couple of swaps in the past and I loved it, so I signed up! I think there ended up being something like 180 swappers.  This one was set up so that you only know who you are sending to.  Each of us filled out a questionnaire so that Kristi could pass it on to whomever had our name.  When I read the info my partner provided I knew almost instantly what I wanted to do. This is the initial fabric stack I pulled from my stash. I ended up digging through my scrap bin to add a bit more variety.

The owl and geese are paper pieced. (Please excuse the horrible pictures, I didn't think to get out the good camera when I was sewing.)

 

 

After getting those parts done I did struggle a bit with what do in the corners but ultimately settled on more dark brown to help pull it all together.

 

I can't wait to get this in the mail to my partner on Monday.  I really hope she likes it!

  

Stats ~

Size ~ approximately 14" square

Fabric ~ all from my stash

Designed, pieced and quilted by me!

If your interested please take a look at the other quilt I entered in the Blogger's Quilt Festival. 

 

Scrappy

I have never done anything with scraps before...mostly because I don't actually have that many.  In my sewing I'm pretty careful with my cutting so I don't often create a lot of scraps.  On Saturday I wanted to sew but didn't really know what I wanted to make so I pulled out these batik scraps.  Some of these  were left over from my Simple Sampler quilt top and some came from Cindy at Live A Colorful Life last summer.

So I just started chain piecing as I dug through the pile.  I ended up with 5 blocks of different sizes.  I'm not sure yet if I'm going to join them together or sash them first.  Maybe they could be part of the backing for my Simple Sampler Quilt?