Antique Sampler top done!

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1205" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Antique Sampler, top only[/caption]

I just love this quilt!  The pattern and quilt designed by Sue Daley was one of those quilts that I wanted to make exactly as the original...no design tweaks, no changes of colour scheme or types of fabrics, no block substitutions, no size change, nothing!  I did the quilt as block of the month from Quilter's Paradise (Califorina) and they did a terrific job in their fabric choices.

I enjoyed every bit of sewing in this quilt...all hand applique and english paper piecing.  The only machine stitching was to stitch the blocks together into the setting and to stitch on the borders.

Clamshell Border

The Antique Sampler quilt has a clamshell border, where each clamshell shape is english paperpieced, joined in a row, then appliqued on to the base fabric.  As mentioned in an earlier post, I had to make up my own method on how to do this consistently.  The centre blocks of the quilt are reverse applique circles...the fabric left from cutting those circles is what's used in the clamshells.  A template makes it easy to cut the clamshell shape.  But now you have a piece of fabric with a 1/4" seam allowance all around, so I pinned the paper piecing shape to the fabric to leave the seam allowance unfolded (as this will later form part of the seam allowance to sew the border onto the quilt)

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The clamshells are then set together to form a row.  Each is joined along the side with the usual small stitching done for english paper piecing.



I quickly discovered that I had to determine a consistent point at which to stop the stitching....where was my "top" of the side?  Placing a pin at the stopping point let me make a consistent looking curve from piece to piece.

Summer stitching

Lots of hand sttching was done this summer, especially in July when it was so hot!  I got two rws of clamshells done for the borders on Antique Sampler.  The instructions for this part of the quilt were disappointing, kind of like...prepare 20 clamshells for each border.  I'll post more tomorrow on just how I went about making and appliqueing them.

I worked on some of the blocks for Summer Reigns, a pattern by Kathy Schmitz.

Thanks to Gayle at Sentimental Stitches, I really got going on backbasting for preparing applique.  I had used this method off and on, but was never entirely happy with how it worked.  

I discovered that for me to be really able to see the holes left by the basting thread, I use a size 7 sharp needle - this needle is consistently thick all the way from tip to eye - and glazed hand quilting thread.  These holes also tend to give you a turn line even when you can't see the holes!!

I got started on Jacqueline's Album quilt...one I've wanted to do for a long time, but never could seem to choose the right fabrics...so I'm making it as a block of the month from the Quilted Crow, it may not be yellows like I wanted in memory of my Aunt Jacqueline, but I'll be sure to think of her everytime I sew it!

a block for Just Takes 2 - I don't think I could have laid out this block so precisely
without backbasting prep!

a block from Jacqueline's Album, showing basting stitches

Stitch good thoughts!

Antique Sampler, centre blocks all done!

It's a beautiful Victoria Day weekend here, even a little too warm yesterday!  I enjoyed a few early mornings sewing outside on the deck, and finished the last of the centre blocks for the Antique Sampler, designed by Sue Daley.

64 - six inch blocks, and 9 - twelve inch blocks, each with a reverse applique background, four each of sixteen different motifs on the centre,  plus three more motifs for the larger blocks, each either english paper pieced and appliqued or just appliqued.  A lot of hand sewing!!

I fell in love with this quilt just as it is shown in the pattern picture.  There was nothing I wanted to change...except maybe the centre block (which I did, by not including the red circles on the tree).  It isn't often I see a quilt that I want just like it is, with no, well I would do this colour, or this arrangement, or that border.  I could never have kept my commitment to this quilt without doing it as a block of the month - Quilters Paradise in Clovis, California, did a wonderful job on the monthly kits; offering lots of variety of fabrics in good sizes.  Next to sew are all the outside border tongues, these are made from the fabrics that were cut from the blocks when preparing the reverse applique.