The Splendid Sampler... Love unites quilters!

It all began one year ago today.... The Splendid Sampler quilt along.  So began the making of 100 / 6 Inch quilt blocks.   There was so much excitement as quilters all over the world united.  It was to be a 6 inch quilt sampler for our generation!  You can find all of the information and the blocks here.   http://www.thesplendidsampler.com/blocks-and-bonus-projects/

Everything will remain available for free until March 1, 2017.  After that you will need to buy the book to access the patterns.

I wanted to jump in with both feet.   I wanted to say I was part of this beautiful group of ladies creating simple beauty bit by bit.  It sounded so doable, 2 six inch blocks a month.  I love little blocks and I wanted to belong to the group.   35,000 women have made at least one block.   WOW... feel the love.

Well here we are one year later.  This sew along  was never meant to be a race to see who could sew the fastest.  It was meant to be a fellowship of quilters creating joy and challenging us to grow as quilters.  Try new things in small measures.  Now days and months have passed,  I  have marveled at others making blocks,  I  downloaded patterns for the future,  I tried to decide on fabric I wanted to use, along the way life happened.  I lost hope that I would ever make this quilt.  Love was growing cold, I just couldn't get started. Though each block was beautiful, some blocks I loved more than others.  I wondered if I could keep on with all 100 realistically if I was not in love with it all.   I know thyself.  I didn't want or need another project stuck in a bag.

And so you wonder have I made any blocks..... YES!
Am I going to make all 100... NO.  For me it is the right choice.

One day in January my heart skipped a beat and I had a revelation.   I was trying to clear out some clutter in my sewing room, along with that process I saw another idea on another blog.  I hopped over the pile of potential fabric for the splendid sampler blocks lying on the floor, opened the blue string drawer and I started making some string blocks.

 Little 6" snowman string blocks.  

I didn't have enough snowmen to make a big quilt so I needed to add another type of block.

HELLO SPLENDID SAMPLER 6 " blocks !!

I loved this idea of making a FEW of the splendid sampler blocks

 and adding them to the snowman string blocks.

So it will still be a Splendid Sampler... just a smaller version. 

Quite a bit smaller.   I am only going to make 18-20 blocks.

 That's my story of Love Renewed......

Hello Splendid Snowman Sampler.

I started with Block # 57  " Starting Point" 

Seemed like the perfect place to jump in. 

I'm just using scraps.  My favorite kind of sewing. 

 I made Snowman string blocks as leader/enders as I was sewing the sampler blocks. 

The second block I made ....

Block #8  " Friends around the square"

I love my sewing friends. 

These little blocks are sweet... I'm sure I would love them all if I made them all because that is usually how I feel about things I make but it is just not going to happen. 

I think they are going to be perfect together. 

I haven't decided on the final layout.  

I'm thinking about turning each block into stars but time will tell. 

And so the sewing LOVE continues

 fast or slow....

It really doesn't matter....

I am reminded to 

Just let it flow !

I'll be spending the week with my favorite little one year old lovey- dovey.

So there is probably not going to be much sewing done this week.

Happy Valentine's Day !!! 

Janita