Friday, June 14, 2019

Sweet Sampler


Today I'm excited to share with you my favorite quilt of the last several months. It's completely and utterly not my normal style or colors, but I love it! Sweet Sampler is made completely out of other people's blocks, and measures about 60" square.


Isn't it pretty? Such soft, soothing colors and traditional block designs. As you know, my friend Kat, who blogs at Kat and Cat Quilts, runs the small Covered in Love charity. CiL provides comfort quilts to patients who pass away in the hospital. 

Full disclosure: Covered in Love recently became an official 501(c)(3) charity and I am on the Board of Trustees. I know that sounds rather impressive, but it really is mostly just Kat, the chaplain at the hospital and a small group of volunteers making quilts. But even though they are few, they are mighty! Kat runs a semi-monthly block drive and collects hundreds, maybe thousands, of blocks each year to make quilts. Folks also send along other lovely blocks, and Kat holds those until there are enough for another quilt. 

I offered to take some of these special, extra blocks and see if they would play nicely together. She sent me a big box stuffed with blocks and yardage and I dove right in! 


There were about a dozen of these pretty "applique" blocks, like the one on the right. They are actually printed panels, but very well designed. I added slim borders to bring them up to 12.5". That was the size of another nice group of blocks like this green star on the left.


Another half dozen blocks, like this sawtooth star, ranged in size from 8" to 9". There were some extra chunks of coordinating fabrics in the box, but few were long enough to make 12.5" sashing. Cornerstones to the rescue! With all the blocks standardized to 12.5" it was a simple matter to stitch them together.


This log cabin is my favorite block. I don't think it was part of any other batch of blocks, so I'm happy this loner found a good home. The quilting is a simple stipple and the binding is a muted red from my own stash that works with the softer, reproduction fabric colors.


Most of the rest of the leftover repro chunks went into making the back. I've committed to using everything Kat sent me exclusively in pieces for Covered in Love. That honors the intentions of the original block and fabric donors. No willy-nilly mixing with my own stash and accidentally ending up in a baby quilt for one of my cousins.


Not every block was labeled with the donor's name, but I'm pretty sure that both Priscilla and Teresa D. have their hands in this quilt, so their names are on the label with mine. If you happen to recognize your own handiwork, let me know and I'll add your name, too!

I was able to make three other quilts from Kat's big Box O' Fun, so I'll be sharing those as I get them finished. They are wildly different from Sweet Sampler, so stay tuned!

23 comments:

  1. Yes, it’s very pretty. I like how you added the borders to the ‘appliqué ‘ blocks, it looks part of the design, as if you had made it all from scratch instead of using donated blocks. A wonderful finish, congratulations, it will make someone very happy.

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  2. Wow, it looks awesome! You did a great job blending all those different blocks together so they look like they were planned. Thanks so much :-)

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  3. it really looks great...w ell done with sorting the sizes and getting them to play nicely together....
    Hugz

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  4. So beautiful! You really met the challenge on this one -- to work with a diverse set of blocks, in colors outside your usual range and make it look like it was planned that way. Fabulous work!

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  5. You did an excellent job of putting all these different blocks together. It looks like they were all planned from the start. The colors are restful and should be very much appreciated by the recipients. Keep up the good work!

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  6. Wow, you really did a fabulous job of assembling such a beautiful quilt from such disparate blocks! It must’ve really been fun sewing and solving the puzzle. And good on you for helping Kat with Covered in Love! I’m glad to know you’re in her network of assistants; it’s such a wonderful charity.

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  7. Great job Louise of taking all those different pieces and blending them into such a sweet quilt. And isn't it fun to limit your fabric selection to what you were given.

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  8. Great job Louise, not an easy task to put other people's blocks together but you've achieved a beautiful harmony there, a gorgeous quilt that will bring great joy.

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  9. WOW! All of these are others blocks?? The quilt is stunning! Love the colors and the different style from each block. Fantastic work piecing this together.

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  10. Samplers just never seem to appeal to me, but I have to hand it to you. You have taken so many different blocks and made them play well together. So well that it makes a very attractive quilt. Good job Louise!!

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  11. What a great job putting this together. Amazing you pulled it all together with pre-printed blocks. They really tied all the odd ones together. You really created a true quilt of love here. Super job!

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  12. I love that quilt, Louise! Just like everyone else is saying - those blocks look like they were meant to go together! Thank you for doing so much for Covered in Love. I've been sending blocks to Kat over the years, and am always so impressed with how much she accomplishes for those families at her hospital. My goal is to send her a whole finished quilt one of these days - got to get on it!

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  13. Lovely quilt, Louise and for such a great cause. What fun to be able to pull different blocks out and play with them.

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  14. Louise, your quilt is over the top & thank you so much for all your help to Kat & CiL. It will warm the soul & spirits of a special family that needs to be covered in love. Thanks also for your Covered in Love disclosure. It's such a beautiful, useful charity that is truly needed. Your quilt will be perfect for the right family. I love how all the blocks look as though they were planned to be in the quilt just as you have arranged them. It's really beautiful. Thanks for your love for Kat & CiL & your enormous, caring heart.

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  15. Lovely! Hard to believe those are all someone else's orphan blocks. CIL is fortunate to have your support.

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  16. It is just so 'all kinds of wonderful' to visit you and see the love you spread around. Having lost my mother just over a year ago, and having had a quilt I made her that she especially loved, across her feet (she was so so hot, and only could have the hospital light blanket on her) helped us all and I know it comforted her too, so I know these quilts for CIL are so important and much-loved.

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  17. You did a wonderful job pulling so many different blocks together into a lovely whole quilt. Adding the borders to bring the applique style blocks to size worked really well and added a sense of movement and depth. They are lucky to have you on the board.

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  18. Awesome beautiful, quilt, Louise! I honestly took a first glance and thought, wow, Louise is doing something different, making all those intricate sampler blocks! It's so coordinated. Great job to all! That will be a special quilt for someone.

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  19. Wow! What a stunner from a collections of orphans blocks! You did a fabulous job making all the pieces come together into a beautiful quilt for a good cause.

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  20. It’s unbelievable what you can do with a box full of random quilt blocks. You are amazing!

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  21. It's a lovely quit! I was amazed when I read that you put that together from other people's random blocks. You really made them look good together. I'm sure whoever receives it will cherish it.

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  22. A lovely quilt Louise and made for such a good cause!

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  23. What a beautiful blending to make a lovely quilt someone needs and will gain comfort from.

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I'll reply as soon as I can.