Sampler Spree - Week 8

Week 8! This week's color is brown/tan. I do not have any brown or tan scraps, so I decided to use mostly purple.

I'm not in love with any of my purple blocks.  Firstly I don't like the color purple. Secondly I am running out of light colored scraps for the backgrounds and found a really pretty (but busy!) butterfly print, which makes some of the blocks kind of scattered looking.

All that being said, I'm pretty sure they will blend in well with the other blocks.

The blocks are:

• #10 - Squash Blossom
• #15 - Jacksonville Square
• #21 - Our Editor
• #28 - Prayer Meeting
• #36 - Farm Friendliness
• #47 - Anvil
• #54 - All Roads Point To Home
• #83 - Basket
• #89 - Equinox
• #92 - Geese & Goslings

Tips:

1. An assembly sequence for Block 10, which has LOTS of pieces.

2. Block 21: Press the HST seams toward the light fabric so they'll nest nicely with the flying geese.

3. Block 89: Instead of cutting squares to make four patches, cut a 1 1/4" by 10" strip of light fabric and a 1 1/4" by 10" strip of dark fabric and sew them together along the long sides. I only had short pieces, so I made a couple to add up to the right length.

Cut the strip(s) into eight 1 1/4" sections and make four patches.

Assemble as follows:

Here are my 10 brown/tan (uhm, purple...) blocks:

Moda's blog post is over here.

It's not too late to join in:

1. Join the Twiddletails Quilt Alongs Facebook group (free projects will be uploaded here.)
2. Join the Moda Blockheads Facebook group
3. Follow on Instagram: #samplerspreeqal, @yardgrl60, @modafabrics, @martingaletpp, @twiddletails
4. Share your progress on Instagram using #samplerspreeqal

My Favorite Color is Moda Sew Along - Blocks 12, 13, & 14

We are making 9 blocks this month but don't panic.  They are very simple blocks.

Disclaimer: Sometimes I will change the pattern instructions a little bit because a different way works better for me. This does not mean that the pattern won't work exactly as written. If you follow the pattern, your blocks will still turn out fine.

Tips/Instructions:

Block 12: Press the Fabric 8/10 HSTs' seams toward Fabric 10 and the Fabric 9/10 HSTs' seams away from Fabric 10. This will allow all the seams to nest nicely when you assemble the block.

Block 13: Instead of cutting the squares into triangles, I used the traditional way of making hourglass blocks.

1. Use all the squares to make HSTs. You will have 4 HSTs.

2. Draw a diagonal line as below on the back of 2 of the HSTs.

3. Place 2 HSTs (one with a line and one without) right sides together as below and sew 1/4" away from the line on both sides. Check that the seams line up where they cross over.

4. Cut along the drawn line and press. Trim to 9.5".

Repeat for the other 2 HSTs. You will have 4 hourglass blocks but will only be using 3.

Block 14: Press all seams toward Fabric 7.

NOTE: As of the writing of this post, I still have a couple of kits left in the Primrose Garden, Trading Post and Pink Lemonade colorways.  I also have patterns for sale individually if you'd like to make your own version.

I'd love it if you join the Facebook Group and/or post pictures on Instagram and mention the blog (and tag @twiddletails) if you find this post helpful.

Sampler Spree - Week 7

Only 3 more weeks and we'll have a pretty quilt top!

The blocks are:

• #4 - Split Nine-Patch
• #16 - Lattice
• #29 - Grandma's Square
• #32 - Mr. Roosevelt's Necktie
• #41 - Big T
• #65 - Snail's Trail
• #73 - New Neighbor
• #78 - The Sickle
• #87 - Framed Nine-Patch
• #100 - Hatchet

Tip:

For years I cut my squares for HSTs (half square triangles) to the exact size to give me the size block I'd like. This is 7/8" larger that what you'd like your finished block to be. I really didn't like the idea of trimming. I could never get perfectly square and flat units.

I finally gave up and am now trimming all my HSTs.

When a pattern calls for exact cutting sizes like this one, I either cut the squares 1/8" larger (1" larger than I'd like my finished block to be) or, if I forget, sew scant seams.

And then I trim...

Here are my 10 pink/purple blocks:

Moda's blog post is over here.

It's not too late to join in:

1. Join the Twiddletails Quilt Alongs Facebook group (free projects will be uploaded here.)
2. Join the Moda Blockheads Facebook group
3. Follow on Instagram: #samplerspreeqal, @yardgrl60, @modafabrics, @martingaletpp, @twiddletails
4. Share your progress on Instagram using #samplerspreeqal

Sampler Spree - Week 6

 I do not have many navy fabrics in my scrap bin but I managed to make this work.

The blocks are:

• #6 - Kites
• #18 - Chisholm Trail
• #23 - New Album
• #30 - Donuts
• #48 - Dutch Windmill
• #62 - Far West
• #64 - Americana
• #69 - Goblets
• #81 - Susan's Puzzle
• #85 - Toy Boat
• #106 - Cutting Corners

Tips:

1. I reverted to foundation piecing for Block 6. Templates are just not my thing. Whenever I struggle with templates, I revert to foundation piecing.

If you'd like to use this method, I uploaded a PDF template to the "Files" section of the Twiddletails Quilt Alongs Facebook group. (Remember to print at 100% and add the 1/4" seam allowance.)

2. An "assembly sequence" for Block 30:

1. 2.

3.4.

5.

Here are my 11 navy blocks:

Moda's blog post is over here.

It's not too late to join in:

1. Join the Twiddletails Quilt Alongs Facebook group (free projects will be uploaded here.)
2. Join the Moda Blockheads Facebook group
3. Follow on Instagram: #samplerspreeqal, @yardgrl60, @modafabrics, @martingaletpp
4. Share your progress on Instagram using #samplerspreeqal