The Splendid Sampler II, Block 2: Milk and Cookies

Today we start Week 2 of the Splendid Sampler 2 Block-of-the-Week quilt along.

Last week at the kickoff of Splendid Sampler 2, where we introduced you to Alex Veronelli's block, Quilt Market, I mentioned that I would talk about the fabrics I'll be using for my Splendid Sampler 2 blocks. So with that said, I'll be writing a separate blog post soon to tell you about the fabrics I chose to use.

 I'm so excited about today's block. It was designed by Rebecca Bryan of Bryan House Quilts, and was so much fun to make. It's called Milk and Cookies. Here is Rebecca's block:

Splendid Sampler 2: Milk and Cookies by Rebecca Bryan

It has been quite some time since I've done a lot of appliqué. Because of this, I decided to take a few minutes to study the block and think through how I was going to achieve a perfectly round circle using the wedge template from the pattern, and Fabrics C and D.

I decided upon the English Paper Piecing (EPP) technique to sew the wedge pieces together, and then add the center "cookie" circle.

This is how I achieved it using what I had on-hand:

1. Cut out the wedge (cut out along sew line; not seam line) and circle templates, trace them onto either template plastic or poster board; cut out shapes.

2. Trace 12 wedge shapes and 1 circle onto heavy-weight paper; cut out shapes from paper. I used 24lb. printer paper that I use for my home office printer. It's a bit thicker than regular printer paper and I use it for all of my EPP projects.

3. Using a fabric glue stick, dab a bit of glue in the center of one of your paper wedges. Place the glue-side of the wedge onto the WRONG side of Fabric C and make sure to leave enough room around the outside edge of the paper wedge for a 1/4" seam allowance.

4. Cut out the wedge shape from Fabric C, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Using a needle and thread, gently fold the seam allowance onto the back side of the wedge shape and baste in place. Make (6) using Fabric C and make (6) using Fabric D.

5. In the same manner, dab a bit of glue in the center of the circle shape. Center and place the glue-side onto the WRONG side of your 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" fabric square, leaving enough room for seam allowance.

6. Cut out circle shape from fabric, leaving 1/4" seam allowance, and baste seam allowance to the back side of the circle.

7. Using a narrow whip stitch (i.e., sew stitches close together) and with right sides together, sew the prepared Fabric C and Fabric D wedge pieces together, alternating, to make a Pieced Wedge Ring. Be sure to line up the edges before you begin stitching each wedge-shape pair together. 

8. Referring to the following image, lay the prepared red circle in the center of your Pieced Wedge Ring (yellow/green fabrics).

9. Baste-stitch the red circle to the Pieced Wedge Ring as shown in the following image. Note: the basting stitches appear loose to show you how to do it. You can tighten them up to secure them. The basting stitches will be removed after you've sewn the red circle to the yellow/green wedge ring.

10. Here is another image showing you how I basted the two pieces together. You'll want at least (6) basting stitches, as shown, to stabilize the project before you stitch the units together.

11. As you did when you pieced the wedge pieces together, whip stitch the red circle to the pieced wedge ring then remove the basting stitches when finished for a perfect circle to appliqué to your 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" pieced base unit to finish your block.

Note: I waited until after I appliquéd the large circle to the base unit to remove the EPP paper. How I did this was I first cut the base unit fabric from the back of the circle leaving a 1/4" seam allowance; this opened up the back of the EPP unit and so I then removed my initial basting stitches to remove the paper.

Here is my version of Milk and Cookies:

If you have any questions, please let me know!

In my next post, I'll be talking about the fabrics I'm using for The Splendid Sampler 2.

The Splendid Sampler 2 book will be available October 2018. It is currently available for pre-sale so order your copy, now!

The Start of Splendid Sampler II, Block 1: Quilt Market

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!

Pat Sloan

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!

Faded Memories Blog Tour: Nantucket Holiday Quilt

Hello and Welcome to Day 3 of the Faded Memories Blog Tour!

I'm Susan Guzman . . . Today I'm your host, and I'll be showing you something pretty you can make using Gerri Robinson's gorgeous new collection called Faded Memories for Penny Rose Fabrics. Faded Memories can be purchased as yardage and pre-cuts (check out a few of my many pre-cut patterns).

Gerri and I have been great friends for many years and when I think of Gerri, I think about her inviting smile, the joy that comes from her laughter, and the warmth she exudes to everyone she meets. She's a delight to be around and it's so neat to study her quilts, her books, and her fabrics because she pours such magnificent artistry into everything she does.

When Gerri first asked me to join her blog tour, I felt a desire to show off her new Penny Rose collection as best I could. Therefore, I decided to design and make a medallion quilt.

This is a digital image of the finished quilt. See photos for actual fabrics.

I love medallion quilts because they're fun to construct and the end result is always so beautifully displayed on a bed.

They're great to make for personal use or as a special gift, such as for a wedding present or anniversary gift.

My medallion quilt using Faded Memories is called Nantucket Holiday (pattern available through my website now for pre-order!).

I have such fond memories of Nantucket from when my husband and I lived along the south shore of Massachusetts and took a quick trip there, one summer. Nantucket boasts quaint shops adorned with hanging flower baskets, charming houses, beautiful views and a strong sense of what one thinks of as having the look and feel of Americana.

Nantucket is steeped in history with American flags flying everywhere you look. Faded Memories was the catalyst of all of these treasured memories flooding back to me when I first laid eyes on the gorgeous florals and color combinations of the collection.

My Nantucket Holiday quilt pattern is available for early purchase through my website now, with my pattern's first shipment going out next week on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. The pattern will include two sizes: an oversize throw that measures approximately 68" x 68" (shown below).

The second size, a bed size quilt approximately 86" x 86", is shown as a flat digital image earlier in this post and on the pattern cover.

The backing I chose for my bed size quilt is black ticking.

Thank you so much for spending time with me on this very special blog tour! Be sure to visit the blogs (and websites) of all of the talented designers who are participating in this tour:

Monday, April 24

Crystal Delaney, The Clever Quilt Studio 
http://cleverquiltstudio.com/

Tuesday, April 25
Joan Hawley, Lazy Girl Designs
http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/

Wednesday, April 26
Susan Guzman, SuzGuz Designs
http://suzguzdesigns.com/

Thursday, April 27
Jina Barney, Jina Barney Designz
http://jinabarneydesignz.com/

Friday, April 28
Andy Knowlton, A Bright Corner
http://www.abrightcorner.com/

and

Friday, April 28
Penny Sturges, Quilts Illustrated
http://www.quiltsillustrated.com/

An Afternoon of Scouting, Part II

I left off yesterday at the Hotel De Paris in Georgetown, Colorado. Georgetown's main street is only 2-3 blocks long but filled with historic buildings from the 1800's.

Across the street from the hotel sits an art gallery, of which you'll find several in town, as well as the town hall and police department.

The neighborhood of houses can be as wee as this sweet place . . .

. . . and is filled with charming clapboard homes from long ago.

This is one of the larger, Victorian-era homes in the neighborhood and has an unusually generous lot.

Above is the old schoolhouse built in 1874. It's been fully renovated and a testament to the architecture of the time.

As you travel away from the town center, you'll pass Alpine House; the old firehouse, which is now a firefighting museum.

Here's the former merchant and tailor shop that sits on a steep slope. At the top of this street, we'll turn left and head up onto Guanella Pass.

The Pass from Georgetown to the other side is 22 miles. However, we only drove to the top during this trip. We stopped along the way at this park where we got out and took a short hike in the woods. Here's my husband just before we crossed the bridge over the creek.

It was so beautiful, even on this overcast day.

Can you see the unusual face peeking out from this tree?

A sweet little flower.

The aspen trees.

We got back on the road and continued our climb up the Pass, where the aspens are replaced by fir trees.

The scent is intoxicating at this level!

The views, breathtaking!

I'm sure you'll agree that our trip that began with the hope of finding great places to photograph quilts was fruitful indeed!

An Afternoon of Scouting, Part I

Not too long ago, my husband and I took an afternoon and headed into the mountains to the west of Denver, Colorado. The goal was to get some ideas of places to photograph quilts.

I've often noticed this abandoned mine while traveling on the highway and we were able to get a closer look.

I love the patina of the building, and the broken windows and patched roof give it such character. You can still see the name of the company at the top.

We found that the property is part of the Stanley Mining Company, now owned by the Empress Gold Mining and Milling Company, Inc.

I wish I could go back in time to see this property alive with smoke poring out of the chimney.

We continued driving on the service road that parallels the interstate highway toward Georgetown. As you drive into the town center, you pass a chalet-style hotel called Hotel Chateau Chamonix, which sits on Clear Creek. It's a charming property and we often talk about staying here when we're in the area. Perhaps, some day!

A view from the back where the creek flows.

Driving into the town center is like stepping back in time. I didn't take a lot of photos because I have many from other visits. But here are a few for you to enjoy . . .

A taste of France in this small, mountain town. I've wondered what the rooms look like. Are they 1800's period-style or updated?

A lion guards the gate leading to a courtyard at the back of Hotel De Paris.

I'll share a few more photos of Georgetown and where we headed next in Part II.