Sampler Quilt
I began this project in April and finished it in December. It comprises of 12 distinct patterned squares, each measuring approx 14 inches. This entire quilt was hand stitched.
I bought the pattern for this quilt off Etsy from the seller TJs Quilt Patterns. Since each block of this quilt is designed using the English Paper Piecing technique, it all had to be hand-sewn. Personally, I prefer this since I have much greater control over my stitches with hand sewing than with using a machine.
After choosing my fabrics, the first step was to print and then cut out the templates for each shape used in the first block, as well as the patch pieces which the fabric would be stitched around.
Once this was done, I printed, cut and then mounted the template shapes and used them to cut the fabric to size. The templates included the seam allowance.
Once the fabric was cut into the correct shapes, I used tacking stitches and a brightly coloured thread to secure the fabric around the patch pieces.
From here, I could match the pieces up and make sure that they mirrored the pattern for the first block.
I used whipstitch to stitch together the patch pieces into the pattern. Once the block was done, it was time to repeat the process with the next square.
Once all the blocks were done, I cut borders and attached the blocks together into one large piece of material. Now I could remove all the little pieces of backing paper inside the patchwork fabric pieces. I cut the tacking stitches and removed all the paper.
It was then time to quilt. I used Odif adhesive spray and large quilting pins to baste the quilt in place, making sure that the backing fabric and the wadding were sandwiched together neatly and had no wrinkles or hidden tucks. Once the quilt was secured, I used basic back stitch to quilt along the internal grid of the pattern and then turned in the edges to create a border.
I then started adding the decorative elements: I added a green velvet ribbon to edge the border and cover up my stitches and I used some blue rick rack on the back to pick out the squares onto the backing fabric. I also quilted over the broad designs of each square to further anchor the quilt together.
