After a year of organizing and with secret emails being exchanged (as well as a secret online group created for us to vent our excitement over the preparations for this much anticipated kick-off!), Splendid Sampler 2 is here!
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| Pat Sloan |
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| Jane Davidson, a.k.a. QuiltJane |
The extraordinary team of Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson have, once again, gathered a passionate, creative group of designers allowing us to share our talents and our stories with you.
What is Splendid Sampler 2? It is an exciting, engaging block-of-the-week quilt along that consists of 100 blocks finishing at 6" square, once sewn together into your very own masterpiece!
This sampler is unique in that Pat and Jane asked each of us to design a special block from our heart; one that reflects our passion for quilting. My unique block design will be revealed at a future date!
Let's begin!
Block 1 was designed by the delightful, smart, and innovative, Alex Veronelli of Aurifil. Alex's block is called: Quilt Market. My interpretation of his design is reminiscent of the rows of market booths presenting their current products and designs to the professional quilting community. We are a community built upon relationships that begin in quilt shops, guilds, and through social media.
When I chose the individual prints for my version of the Quilt Market block (I'll talk more about my chosen fabrics for the blocks I'm making for Splendid Sampler 2, next week), I decided I would place fabrics in my layout so that each fabric would not touch another fabric of the same color. I felt doing this would add interest to my block. I also decided I would add a solid neutral to use as visual "spacers" when I sewed my groups of 3 fabric strips together into Alex's block design. As an aside, I typically don't use many solids in my quilt designs. However, I like how the neutral solid fabric used here, allows for the surrounding fabrics to show-off and shine (also, allowing for a place for the eye to rest, therefore, adding a sense of calmness between the visual busyness of the prints).
Throughout this journey while I make my version of my fellow designers' blocks, I will test myself to make the best use of my fabrics. I've found that I'm taking extra time to think through what prints I'm using in each patch to accentuate the personality of each block. Additionally, each week I'll share tips and tricks that I've learned over the course of my career in design regarding color, the use of prints, balance, in addition to sewing tips, applique techniques, and many other things. I hope you will join me over the next year and will think of it as an expedition filled with excitement and learning something (or, perhaps many things) new!
The Splendid Sampler 2 book will be available October 2018. It is currently available for pre-sale so order your copy, now!
