Over the last few weeks I’ve been beavering away on my Splendid Sampler quilt blocks. We had a couple of weeks off from the twice weekly schedule over Christmas which did give us a bit of breathing space, but also gave me chance to catch up a bit on the sashing and quilting.

I’ve just stitched blocks 89 and 90, so just ten to go! I’ve really enjoyed this quilt-a-long and I’ve learnt loads, but I must admit I’m ready to get it finished, it has been a challenge keeping up with all the blocks and at  times it does seem to have taken over! I’m itching to do a bit of dressmaking again and of course there are other quilts I want to do too!!!

Block 89 was designed by Ebony Love, it’s called ‘Colorado to the Midwest.’ It’s made with lots of triangles, as opposed to squares stitched together diagonally to make half square triangle blocks. I’ve decided I prefer the latter method, even with lots of starch the triangles move too much! Having said that, it’s a very pretty block.

Block 90 was one that made me hesitate for a while! It did look complicated! It’s designed by Lorena Uriarte and it’s called ‘Juggling’, I love the story behind the block, I so know where she is coming from, life is a bit calmer now my children have grown up, but I’ve certainly had my loopy days!!

‘My most splendid days are spent doing a little of everything I love. Often that means juggling my family, work and hobbies so everything gets done. Ideally this would look like a little calm gardening in the morning, some stitching with friends and cooking wholesome meals for my family in the evening. Sometimes there is frantic lunch box packing, ferrying instruments around town and scrambling to meet class times and deadlines, at the end of those days I can feel a bit loopy. That’s when I really enjoy some appliqué or handwork, it soothes my busy brain and I feel like I’ve reclaimed the day. It’s amazing that a little bit of fabric and thread can do that, how splendid!’

Once I sat down and read the instructions it actually wasn’t that hard, I think the hardest bit was choosing the fabrics, especially the crosses on the balls, not convinced I got the balance right but it’s turned out OK.

I’ve not only got pretty much up to date with the blocks, I’ve also managed to sash them all, even the ones I’ve just made! I’ve decided I really don’t like sashing! I’ve read alot on blogs about quilters who dislike binding so much that a quilt will remain unfinished for months or years just waiting to be bound. I love binding a quilt, I sit down on a comfy chair and hand stitch it down whilst my mind wanders onto other projects! Sashing on the other hand…excuse the pun, but it’s a bit of a bind!

As well as sashing ninety blocks, I’ve also quilted over thirty of them, ready to put together using the quilt as you go technique. Some of them are just quilted in the ditch but most of them I’ve tried to do a little extra stitching. The embroidered blocks and a few others have been quilted with free motion quilting, trying to pick a design that suits the block, such as leaves on a flowery block, or hearts on the Love and Kisses block. I’m surprised how quick they are to stitch, once I get the sandwiching done, I can finish quite a few in an evening.

This is my pile of quilted blocks, and my box of blocks waiting to be quilted!  I’ll quilt a few more before I trim them to the same size and then start stitching them together…the final few steps!