I’ve finally finished my Splendid Sampler 2 quilt! Last night I finished hand-stitching all the binding and this morning I trimmed any loose threads – though I’m bound to have missed some!
I started this quilt about 18 months ago, it was initially a block of the week quilt organised by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson, the first twenty blocks were released for free, then you bought the book for the rest. Eighty different designers from all over the world have each contributed a block design, so there’s lots of different styles and techniques. I made the first Splendid Sampler quilt and learnt loads.
Some of my favourite blocks! 
I did discover that without the organised block of the week and the camaraderie of facebook I’m not that good at pushing myself with a block that looks a lot of work – like lots of 1″ squares!
My original plan was to make two quilts of 49 blocks each as I’ve got enough kingsize quilts and I wanted a pair of quilts to protect a pair of newly covered armchairs from our dog Zac, however Zac is no longer with us and I decided at around block 20 that I would just make one quilt.
I did as Pat suggested and made the blocks which meant something to me, so there’s sewing, gardening, quilting, nature, walking, and ones I could make my own, sometimes by accident such as the mismatched triangle on the Balance block – perfect for an unbalanced person like me! If you want to read the stories behind the blocks, have a look at the links here.
I started off with a group of fabrics from my stash, I think they were mainly ones I’d bought for my first Splendid Sampler quilt but the colours didn’t quite work. They were a lovely muted collection of blues, greys and teals. I have bought a couple of extras but I’m really pleased that from the huge pile of fabric I worked from, I only have about 1.5m left!
I used the QAYG technique, so each block was sashed, sandwiched and quilted as I went a long. Like in SS1 I used different fabrics for the backing, so the back is pretty in it’s own right – and it’s much easier to see the quilting on the back!
I tried lots of different quilting styles and patterns, free motion, in the ditch, I found I was bravest with quilting when I wasn’t so bothered about the block!
Although it’s only half size, it’s still about 60″ square, a nice size for a throw, but still a bit big to photograph on the floor – my arms just aren’t quite long enough, this was the best I could do!
I’m really pleased with this one, the colours have worked out well and it’s now in our conservatory, covering our brown settee, it looks much nicer!
thecraftycreek 
I LOVE IT.
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Aww thanks Cathy 🙂
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It’s spectacular….the colors are so soft and subtle, evoking peace and tranquility. I love the thin black border and the backs of each block…wow ~ I love this quilt! Kudo’s!
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Thanks, I’m well chuffed with it!
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Gorgeous and the colour choices work really well. You have made a fantastic quilt and looks lovely in your conservatory
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Thanks Jane, it works well with the blue walls and slate floor 🙂
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What a great personalized quilt–it tells the story of you and your interests. Wonderful finish! Congratulations!
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Thanks Gail, it’s worked out well, I’m pleased with it.
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It looks so fresh and pretty in the sunshine, and well done on this real quilting milestone. Nothing should deter you now!
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Thanks Kate, some of these quilts do push me out of my comfort zone 🙂
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An heirloom for sure – absolutely beautiful.
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Thank you, I’m well chuffed with it 🙂
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It’s just beautiful Margaret!
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❤️ it! You did a great quilting job!👏😀
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This has turned out to be my favorite of the quilts I have seen on your blog. Simply beautiful. So many different quilting techniques. It is almost like a sampler.
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It really is rather splendid – I love all the different blocks and the colours are beautiful. Well done.
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it really turned out beautifully! well done!
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You should be happy dancing the rest of the week! What a wonderful quilt. Definitely something you’ll enjoy using for years to come. 🙂
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I love how you took a busy design…all those wonderful, meaningful blocks…and pulled them all together with your soft, muted fabric choices! Well done, Margaret! 🙂
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Congratulations! I love everything about this: the colours, the blocks, the sashing, the backing…
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It’s gorgeous- the colours are very much my taste and I love the different fabrics on the back which make it reversible. Do you get a lot of direct sun in your conservatory? Even though it’s not my quilt I’m worrying about fading 🙄
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Thanks Tialys, although it’s south facing we have an opaque roof so it’s not too bad for direct sunlight – I’ll keep an eye on it.
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Yeah! Well done you❣️
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It turned out so well! I love the back, too!
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Absolutely beautiful!
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Absolutely gorgeous – I want one!!
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Congratulations on a beautiful icy blue finish.
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Hello Margaret, congratulations on a really beautiful finish. All the effort and time have definitely been worth it. I love the subtle colours and it looks gorgeous in your conservatory and now with the cooler weather you’ll probably get a lot of use out of it. Regards Mandy xx
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Splendid indeed! Congratulations and your color palette is amazing!
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