Uncategorized

City Sampler Sew Along: Blocks 10, 11, and 12

Sew Sweetness

This post is part of the City Sampler Sew Along.
For more information or to see blocks completed so far, click here!

Let’s keep rolling right along with blocks 10, 11, and 12!

Gina – Hey there! I am happy to be sewing Block #10. It is like having our first row done! 1 row down, 9 to go. So far so good. I really like having the small goal of 3 a week because I can keep making progress without feeling overwhelmed. If you find yourself already falling behind I would work on cutting out as many blocks as you can when you find time to work because sewing them together is really quick! My Block #10 has a fussy cut Neptune octopus and some Shot Cotton in Blue Jeans. I am pretty obsessed with shot cottons right now and have been cramming as much of them into my blocks as I can. I have heard some people complain about how thin the fabric is, but I find it is actually great for piecing since the seams iron flat and have less bulk to them.

Block #11 is using the most yellow Tula Pink fabric that I had; some swirls from her Nest line and another shot cotton in Clementine. I am really in love with the fabric Tula uses in the book, the yellow butterflies. I am pretty sure that is a strike off scrap of fabric that was never printed. I remember seeing some of that in a quilt at the Quilt Shoppe in Pinkerville and absolutely dying over it then too. I have had this book for a while now and I just now noticed that the corner page number has the main color of that block! This has been
helping me decide what shade and color to use when I am choosing fabric. I find myself looking at the solid color square layout in the back of the book a lot.

I was kind of disappointed to see that the middle cross of my block didn’t perfectly line up straight across even though the top and the bottom were straight. You can notice it especially on the front. I
guess I rushed that one a bit. I am telling myself “it will quilt out” and moving on. I am not typically the type to stress over sewing a perfect 1/4″ and prefer more improv quick styles, but I like the idea that making this quilt will improve my accuracy. So far I have been cutting everything as the book describes and not trying too many short cuts which means I have been dealing with the little 1″ squares which seems scary at first, but is not bad at all. I am thinking however that I may finally buy a 1/4″ foot with the little shank that hangs down to keep your fabric straight.

My Block #12 is a mix of lime birdcage from Plume and the green Ladybugs from Birds & Bees. In the rainbow Gridlock layout this block is right between yellow and green. I like that this block has so much negative space, but is also a plus sign. Subtle playfulness there, Tula. There were some odd size pieces to cut out, but once it goes together it works. I notice on my block too I have my plus sign sideways to how Tula’s is pictured in the book. This is with the book right in front of me while I sew! I suppose my lesson this week is that mistakes will happen even with careful planning, but that in the end it still looks alright!

-Gina
http://www.ginapina.com 



Kim Hi, Kim here from My Go-Go Life!!!!!   WOOT WOOT…we are in the double digits!!!!!  This week’s blocks were so fast and easy!!!!

I am continuing with my Pat Sloan Bobbins and Bits fabric line from Moda.  The choice this week was easy…yellow and orange!  I am really ready for summer and it is showing in my color choices for sure 😉

To line blocks up I used this Frixion marker.  I LOVE these things! They produce a fine line and disappear completely when ironed…MIRACLE!  I cannot recommend using them for large projects just little ones since there have been some kind people to extensively test the pens and and the lines can show up again when the fabric gets really cold! So I say YAAY to small projects with this marking tool!

I measured from the edge to the center 3.25 and marked it

Lined it up

 Pinned it in place and sewed.

 I also recommend chain piecing at all times! But not over pins…shhhhh…that can stay our little secret ;o)

Block 10

Block 11

Block 12

I am still playing catch up but will be  all caught up in no time!

-Kim

Sara -I’m really digging these crosses and how easy they are. As many have said before, I think the hardest and most time-consuming part of making these blocks is choosing which fabrics to use and in which combinations!
Block 10

 As Kim mentioned above in this post, I’m using my Frixion pens to line up the crosses. I think I did a decent job of lining them up; not perfect, but it won’t be noticeable when the entire quilt is compiled.

Block 11

Block 12

And here are my blocks so far! I *am* using green in my quilt too, I just haven’t gotten to any green blocks yet, although I see a green block coming up for #14. 🙂 Digging how they are looking so far!! A little bit of progress!

And I also wanted to give you a sneak peak of what else I am working on in tandem with the City Sampler blocks. I’m testing the butterfly quilt that Tula showed off at Market (you can see a photo of it in my post from Quilt Market). If you are enjoying making the City Sampler blocks, the style of the blocks used to make the butterfly are extremely similar; there are crosses, log cabins, flying geese, and a little bit of sewing with curves. The only difference is that instead of making 1 of each block, for most of the blocks you are making them in sets (8’s, 10’s, etc.).

I am making my butterfly quilt as a gift for my daughter’s birthday in September. She’s been asking for something with a butterfly on it, since before I even saw the butterfly quilt, so it’s going to be perfect. Tula had a white background on her quilt, but I wanted a text fabric for mine. I wanted a fabric that didn’t exist (pink text on white background), at least right now, so my friend Thomas designed such a fabric using an actual note that I had written for my daughter, and I had the fabric printed at Spoonflower; so when she looks at her quilt, she will see the words that I have written for her. My friend Lisa will be quilting it for me; I have never had anything quilted by Lisa, but her work is mind-blowing. Having so many friends have a hand in the creation of this quilt really means a lot to me and I know it will be a very special quilt for my family!

The butterfly quilt will be a print pattern, and not released until the end of July, so please don’t e-mail Tula tonight asking where you can find it. 😉

-Sara
https://www.sewsweetness.com

So, if you are sewing along at home, be sure to link up ONLY blocks 10, 11, and 12 in this post (you will have time to link up your other blocks in future posts). Please link up separately for each block. As a reminder, you can link to your blog post, Flickr, or wherever else you are hosting your pictures. You must link up here on this post in order to be eligible for the monthy prize, to be awarded on June 30th!

Related Posts

5 thoughts on “City Sampler Sew Along: Blocks 10, 11, and 12

  1. ~Michelle~ says:

    Ooh, I wanna see the special text fabric!

  2. Beth says:

    All the blocks are so awesome. I finally got my plan in my head and on paper. I have picked fabrics for a few blocks. Not sure that I will ever catch up but I plan to start cutting tomorrow.

  3. Jodi says:

    Message to Kim – just a warning about the Frixion pens. I have found particularly on dark fabric they can leave a line after ironing that looks a little like the fabric has been bleached – best to use it on seam allowance in my experience rather than the face of the fabric. They are sooo useful though. I am addicted to mine and always pick a new one up when they are on sale.

  4. DeeAnn says:

    Everyone’s blocks are looking great! I can’t wait to see how they all come together as quilts.

  5. Katy Cameron says:

    Looking good ladies!

Comments make my day and I love to reply!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.