folk sampler

We are now halfway through the folk sampler sewalong. 

Sara from farm and folk recommends we keep our palette simple, like the antique inspiration sampler. With that in mind, I opted for soft greens & browns, and peachy/pinks, with a mix of different creams, and a splash of olive to jazz things up. 

Must just add, it's quite an exercise in “control” for me, with a selection of fabrics in a minimal colour palette. I kept rummaging around in my greens to find extras to add in - old habits - but then I realised I actually didn't have to! 

My soft green large floral works so well, it creates a focus and sets the mood. The other smaller scale prints in smaller pieces all seem to connect somehow. 

Unlike Sara though, I'm not using any hand dyes, but a mix of prints, linen, barkcloth, soft cotton merino & woven checks.

I've had this linen for years!

I'm cutting into the pink parts but might use the little girl in the backing maybe?

Block 10 star in the window

Block 11 chain and bar

I made two extra sawtooth stars too - super fun revisiting the block and playing around, changing different elements. And I think having some blocks that are similar in construction helps achieve some cohesion.

And yes, I do like some blocks better than others, but overall, it's looking great ...

The #folksamplersewalong is hosted by sara buscaglia from farm and folk. She is using Barbara Brackman's book for her block choices for this sampler.

Until next time, Linda

boardwalk quilt

Last week there were 16 blocks on the wall ...

... et voila!

It's exciting when you get to the finished quilt top stage, don't you agree? 

Love this eclectic collection of fabrics and colour,

all (except the Kaffe spot) from my scrap/stash baskets 

quilt top measures 62" x 62"

And I'm happy to announce that I now have an amazing collection of quilt tops all waiting to become quilts 

So many things to make, so little time, 

Linda

another Wednesday, another block

I'm stitching along with Sara's #folksamplersewalong. There's something quite relaxing about a sewalong, the blocks arrive at a steady pace 1x week - I don't know how it's all going to look at the end, to sash or not to sash, whether my muted colours will work - but I'm trusting the process. 

I’m making a kind of fusion between my "style" and Sara's @farmandfolk very rustic & earthy feel. I'm trying to keep my colour palette simple, using the soft green vintage floral as my focus, with other gentle colours added in like peach & pinks, muted browns, and maybe olive as an accent. 

I'm also using different weights of fabrics in this sampler, like linen, barkcloth, soft cotton merino, woven checks & regular quilting cottons. The more blocks I've made, the more I'm coming to grips with the different fabrics, combining similar weights if possible. Super happy so far with the added depth & texture to my experimenting! 

Soft colours + scattered prints = joy in every block. 

block 8 Snowballs. 

block 9 Bears Paw 

- almost halfway through the 20-week adventure! 

If you love a sampler quilt and savour the process, this one could be for you too.

Linda

brought to you from my scrap baskets

These 'boardwalk' blocks have come together slowly over the past few weeks, and I've enjoyed every minute of the process.

The pattern calls for 25 blocks (set 5x5), but I decided I'd make 16 blocks for my quilt (I don't make as many big quilts these days). My blocks are full of wild colour combos - some work, some not so much. Lots of fun mixing up lots of fabrics from my scrap baskets, the old, the new, designer and unknown bits & bobs too, all in large florals, spots, stripes, & geometrics.  

I'm super happy with how I've problem solved through those trickier bits, like sewing those boxy looking curves and making up my own FPP template for the fan segments. 

Here are the last few blocks ... 

a real mix in this next one,

Amy Sinibaldi 'haven' peach, a Tanya Whelan spot, grey Liberty, woven b&w gingham, 

an early Denyse Schmidt and a center square of AM ...

and block 16 

 

 I've also settled on my sashing choice, so the full reveal won't be long now.

Linda

seamlessly chaotic

I've been busy jumping between my folk sampler blocks (see my last post) and these boardwalk blocks.
I'm machine piecing my blocks, with a little additional FPP. These big 14 1/2" blocks are a super fun playing with colour and large-scale florals.

These go at a very slow pace ... seamlessly? chaotic well, no not exactly, there has been some unpicking and swopping out of fabrics happening. But on the +side, the more blocks I make, the easier it gets, and I think I've conquered those square looking curves!

I’m having fun using multicoloured prints in each block,

keeps things cheerful & chaotic

a classic vibe happening here with the peach & navy,

keeps this one a little calmer ...

Oh, the possibilities, I feel like every block is a little colour study

That's 12 blocks done✅

Linda

latest batch of blocks

 

Loving this #folksamplersewalong, many thanks to Sara @farmandfolk for putting it together. Her instructions are excellent! Like Clare @selfsewn, I’m working on making a kind of fusion between my style and Sara's @farmandfolk style. 

The different weights of fabrics in this are proving a tad problematical, e.g. quite bulky when joining seams, etc. Also, I've noticed that because some of my fabrics have been folded for so-o- long, even ironing isn't getting a nice finish. Maybe I need to get some *starch? 

On the +side, I'm super happy with my colour palette, see last pic.

The accent colour I have chosen to run through my blocks is pink. And I've started auditioning for possible sashing options as I sew but haven't settled on anything yet. 

Here's my latest batch of blocks ...

Block 5: Corn and Beans

-h-m-m- a little unpicking needed here!

Block 6: Double T

a little bit of Outback Wife to add some zing

Block 7: Garden Walk

All up to date now and looking forward to Wednesday's new block.

*edit: the starch has certainly helped with those fold lines, yayee.

Linda

something a bit different

Time to break open that bundle I’ve been saving for The. Perfect. Project.

Back in 2018 I bought a fabric bundle that I never actually used all together as a palette in anything. It was called 'Rosebud' in some blush-rose pinks and earthy camel tones, all in different linen weights, barkcloth & soft cotton merino. 

When I spotted the folk sampler @farmandfolk recently with its rustic & earthy feel, I decided my small bundle would work very nicely. And I could always go to the quilt shop for extras - but it turns out I have enough in my stash here to add to the initial bundle and I was excited to get started.

I mixed in some darker fabrics with lighter tones so that it looked scrappy and had a lot of contrast. I'm keeping the colour palette simple - something just a bit different for me, I know! - using soft green, peachy/pinks, assorted soft browns to "ground" things, with maybe just a little black. Some fabrics are light and airy neutrals, while others are dark, moody & muted. 

I really love that one or two of the fabrics stand out a bit too, like the grey and white gingham and the Outback Wife floral 'Elizabeth' print.

 Block 1: Woodland Path 

Block 2: Sawtooth Star

Block 3: Crow's Foot

next up Block 4: Sunray's Delight

and a group photo of my blocks so far ...

I'm enjoying seeing everyone’s work, loving all the different combinations of colour and prints.

If you're curious, click over to #folksamplersewalong

Linda