Tula Pink City Sampler Quilt Top Complete!

The top is assembled!  With all the beautiful Tula City Sampler blocks appearing on Instagram daily, I decided it was time to woman-up and assemble MY beautiful blocks into a quilt top.  In case you want to see each one, here are the previous blog posts starting in February 2014 (!!):

The first post

The second post

#26 - 35

#36 - 43

#44 - 60

#61 - 70

#71 - 81

#82 - 100

Yes, it really was time to move this project forward!  I fell in love with Tula's fabric making these blocks.  Selecting the right setting was critical and I decided to go with one right from the book.  It was very slow going with lots of pieces and pinning but I couldn't be happier.

It was a lovely autumn day for quilt photographs.

I played with the block placement for a very long time!  The blocks lived on my design wall for months.  As noted in the blog posts, I built the blocks without a specific color plan in mind.  Each block was lovingly constructed as I allowed her artwork to inspire the fabric choices.  This meant a layout with a defined color scheme was not going to happen.

Next I have to baste this very large quilt! Then onto quilting! Just think how many pictures will be in the post when I finish this quilt! Apologies in advance!

Kathy

Finished - My New Hampshire Visit Quilts

These two little quilts are off to two sweet kids who visited us at the lake this summer.  Fabric markers, scrap muslim and a quick trip to Joann Fabric for fabric and voila!

 I've started to assemble my 100 Tula City Sampler Blocks using one of the suggested quilt designs from the book. Each row takes a lot of time to assemble so please be patient!

Meanwhile, I am trying to keep up with the Splendid Sampler blocks.

But it is very hard to stay focused on sewing!  We are dog-sitting my brother's dog Millie for a few weeks while he and his wife go on a trip of a lifetime.  She is so much fun!

Happy Friday!  Linking up with Amanda Jean's finish it up Friday party!

Splendid Sample Update - #49 - 59

Hello friends! In terms of sewing accomplishments this summer, I've not much to brag about except that I have kept up with The Splendid Sampler quilt along.

#49 - Summer's Gift.  I practiced hand blanket stitching on this one.

 #50 - Flights of Fancy

#51 - Bee Happy.  I am indeed happy to have this challenging block completed.  I need to spend some time figuring out why I keep flipping the patterns (the bee should be facing to the left).

#52 - Coneflower.  Although I replaced the top of the flower once already, I don't like that you can see the tops of the petals underneath the center.  I will likely re-do this one.

#53 - Whirling in Circles

#54 - Shell

#55 - Dedication Rose

#56 - At Home Anywhere

#57 - Starting Point

#58 - Homeward Bound

#59 - Circle of Friendship.  One of my favorite blocks.
The wall is filling up!

Linking up with Amanda Jean's finish it up Friday party!

Where Did The Summer Go?

I can't believe it is August 31.  The nights are more consistently cooler, kids are going back to school and the leaves are beginning to show signs of the next season (assisted by the current draught situation).  It's been a lovely summer full of visitors, activities and time on the water.

The Splendid Sampler quilt along has been the most consistent sewing project of the summer.  I am just a little behind and feeling better how this is coming along.

Have you seen the #100days100blocks City Sampler QAL in Instagram?  Every day I see beautiful blocks from Tula Pink's City Sampler book.  This has encouraged me to finish the quilt top with the 100 beautiful blocks I made last year!  Deciding on a setting from the book, I have framed each block.  This is what my 100 blocks looks like today:

One of the highlights of the summer was a week long visit by my brother, his wife, daughter, her boyfriend and my brother's grandchildren.  It was so much fun having the two little kids to hang out with!  Amongst other "firsts" of this visit, the kids tried fishing for the first time. 
We also had a little craft time and, no surprise, I suggested drawing blocks to remember their New Hampshire vacation that I would make into a quilt.
Any suggestions or advice for incorporating these blocks made with fabric markers into a quilt?

As much as I will miss summer, September promises to be a little quieter month with more time for sewing!  Yay!

Linking up with Lorna's Let's Bee Social!

Splendid Sampler Blocks # 44 - 48 and Weekend Update!

At exactly this moment in time, I am current with the Splendid Sampler Quilt Along.  Fitting in a block here and there has worked well so far.

#44 - Stitch in the Garden - These embroidered blocks have been lovely to work on this summer.

 #45 - Sewing Nut - We have red squirrels in NH!

#46 - Twirl Time

#47 - Circle of Love - A tricky block for me but I love the effect of the finished block.

#48 - Whim - I decided to make this block the one for resting the eyes!

And the wall looks like this right now:

If you follow me on IG, you know that last weekend was our Annual Birthday Party Extravaganza weekend here at the lake.  Our sons all have July birthdays so this timing works out beautifully to celebrate and have some summer fun together.

The weather cooperated and we had a great time (as we always do when together!).  The weekend started with taking the Chicago based side of the family over to visit my mother-in-law in beautiful Maine.  Yes, there was seafood and ice cream as well as a tour of four lighthouses! Great day!

The weekend was full of resting, swimming, cooking, laughing and even a little sewing!

The guys (and gals) decided we needed a corn hole game for the house so off they went to the hardware store for supplies.  And voila!

Of course that meant I had to jump into the sewing room and make bags! This outdoor weight fabric made for some pretty fancy bean bags, don't you think?

Our oldest son is celebrating a BIG birthday this year.  He plays on a vintage baseball team and one of his gifts was a custom shield for the games this next weekend.

My goodness, how did my little baby get to be that old?  And his "little" twin brothers just turned 27. Yikes!  It's true about time flying by when you are having fun!  So blessed!

Happy Friday!
Kathy

Splendid Sampler Update - Blocks #28 - 43

I know this is not technically a "finish" but I feel like it is a major accomplishment, that I am up to date with the Splendid Sampler blocks!  There continues to be quite a bit of hand sewing, either embroidery or appliqué that really slows me down.  As you will see, I will admit to cheating on a few blocks.

#28 - Stitching Fashion This was a fun block to paper piece, even with some smaller pieces on the dress.

 #29 - Scrappy Happy Heart 

#30 - Simple Surprises

#31 - Blossoming - I took the easy path here and stuck with one color.

#32 - Constant Needle - Having just completed a class, I used a freezer paper appliqué method on this one.  The hand stitching and the curves are not perfect, but I am OK with this!

#33 - Selvage Saver - You know I make these blocks for relaxation therapy so this was a winner!

#34 - Lemonade - Tricky little curves to make this lemon!

#35 - The Wishful Garden - This block introduced me to a few new embroidery stitches.  Fun!

#36 - Inchy Hexagon Club - OK, my mother told me if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.  Sorry mom.  I spent SO much time on this block and I really am not a fan!  Those hexes are tiny, tiny and my attempts to do something clever with the patterns was disappointing.  In frustration, I sewed the hexie flower to the background with a clear monofilament thread.  Notice the puckering?  UGH  I may end up unpicking it and hand sewing it back with cotton.

#37 - Dashing by Chocolate - On the other hand, this block made me very happy.

#38 - Vintage Flower Basket - I used the monofilament to applique on this block and I am fine with the results.  A little cheating, I know, but life is too short to be changing thread all the time!

#39 - Balls in the Air - A real test of paper piecing patience!

#40 - Flights of Friendship - Sorry about all the little threads that show up in these pictures!

#41 - Sew South - Yes, guilty again of monofilament appliqué!

#42 - Pencils - You can certainly guess the color scraps I have the most of!

#43 - Pincushion Love! - So, I was on a roll with all that appliqué work and that disappearing monofilament thread!

The blocks have been sorted by color to see how well they are playing together.  I'm not surprised with the leaning toward cool colors!


Life at the lake has been wonderfully busy this summer.  I really, really want to bust open a quilt project but for now these little 6" blocks give me an excuse to duck into the quilting cave for a few minutes.

Have a lovely day.  Peace.
Kathy