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Custom FMQ Sampler Quilt Along

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A little more on the progress update of my quilt as you go Sewcial Bee Sampler Quilt. I have some tips for the Quilt As You Go method as well in this post, so if you are into trying this method, it is worth reading through the lessons I have learned from making this quilt. 

Quilt As You Go (QAYG) Sampler quilt

For those who have not seen the progress of this quilt before, here is a little summary of the quilt.

  • This was a Sew Along I joined in 2019 hosted by two of my favorite Art Gallery Fabric Designers, Sharon and Maureen. 
  • I decided to make mine using the quilt as you go method as I wanted to practice more free motion quilting and try different quilting designs. 
  • I made two quilts. One is done and quilted. And has a totally different look to this one. You can see that finished quilt HERE>
  • The two are made differently in terms of the free motion quilting design and the use of fabrics. One is made with yardage of background fabrics (I use Kona Snow) and the other (the one I will talk about today) with scraps. 
  • I quilted each block with a feather design motif. Mainly because I wanted to practice the feathers. You can check out the archive for each quilted blocks HERE>

Today, I’ll be talking specifically about the second one, the scrappy version.

A little tutorial today on how to blind stitch by hand.

I am in the process of piecing together the quilt-as-you-go blocks for the second version of my Sewcial Bee Sampler quilt as mentioned earlier and now I am at the stage of hand stitching the tiny sashing on the back of the quilt. 

Before I piece the sashing together, I took a photo of the layout so I can refer to the blocks as I sew them in rows.

join quilt as you go blocks how to blind stitch tutorial video

After piecing them in rows. The front is ready, the back still needs to be finished. And this is where I need to sit down and hand stitch the blind stitch.

Another quilt-as-you-go finished. It’s the same quilt pattern with the version 1 I posted in 2019. But with totally a different look. 

Here is the first version which I blogged about HERE>:

There are affiliate links within this post in which I may earn commission which helps me run the blog.

This one was put off for much longer than the first one. Quilt blocks were all readily quilted at the same time with the first version, but it was so hard to pick the right sashing. 

This version is made from my scraps including the frames of the blocks. Hence the wide range of greys.

And because it was so scrappy, it was hard to pick a fabric for the sashing.

I was also resistant to buying any new fabrics to complete it. But I didn’t have much stash of large yardage. Either I was going for scrappy sashing too or I will eventually need to buy enough yardage for it. 

Hence the progress was stalled. For quite a while. I finally decided to buy enough yardage for the sashing. But it was difficult to choose which kind of fabrics to get. 

Picking the right fabric for the sashing

I finally made the purchase late last year (2020), and picked the fabric that has most of the colours from the blocks. It is also one of Art Gallery Fabrics, and since the blocks were made from all Art Gallery Fabrics, the colours were a good match. 

The fabric is from the same designer I have from my stash – Katarina Roccella which is why most of the colours were similar. 

Here is the link to the fabric if you are interested to get some too. 

I love the fact that the fabric is stripy. Similar to the first version, I think stripy fabrics are great choices for sashing, borders or binding. 

Now, at this stage, I do feel like it is a little busy. 

Quilt as you go blocks

But I think it will be fine with the thin sashing made using the same method I use for joining together quilt as you go blocks. Click here for the tutorial for piecing quilt as you go blocks with tiny sashing.

Otherwise, it will surely be a great experiment right?

I am definitely just going with it this time. Wish me luck!!! I’ll update again soon.

You can find the archive for each of the block quilting HERE>. Each of the blocks were custom quilted with feather design quilting.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Amira – Quilting And Sewing (@amira_littlemushroomcap)

 

Here is one of my favourite block.

Second finish of the year!

I put this off for so long. Quilt blocks were ready to pieced together a long while already. 

You can find the archive for each of the block quilting HERE> (with tutorials to FMQ design)

And I think some of the reason why I was reluctant to proceed was because the final blocks didn’t excatly turned out the exact 12.5″ after quilting and the tedious process of cutting sashing. 

But I finally did it. 

And this is how I went about it:

Trimming the blocks after quilting:

First, I had to just clarify myself that the truth and a fact that my quilt blocks are not all equal size.. After quilting each blocks, the blocks are likely to be a different size. This is due to the difference in the density of quilting. I always find samper quilts are challenging due to this fact. 

Then I had to tell myself that it is okay that I had to trim all of them to the same size and may need to sacrifice some points. Gladly most of them had borders, which didn’t matter much when trimming them. 

I reminded myself that I should never aim for perfect. 

I should embrace imperfection. It is way better done, learned rather than an unfinished project due to the perfectionist me.

With that I finally took action to just move it on. 

So, here it is today. All done and bound and it feels great. 

I used the same technique used here (tutorial for piecing quilt as you go blocks with tiny sashing).

Pretty happy with the finish.

I think the stripes is perfect for this version of my Sewcial Bee Sampler as it has lots of white background. 

The colourful backing is also something I look forward to when piecing the blocks together. It couldn’t be any better. I love the colourful backing!

I did enjoy quilting all the different textures on this quilt and I love it now that I have 25 different quilting design to refer to as well. It was well worth the trouble and had a lot of practices too with this project,

Now I need to finish my other version of the quilt. That one I intend to do a larger sashing but I doubt that I have enough fabrics for it.. so again another procrastination. We shall see when that one gets done. 

Here is one photo with my dear husband holding up the photo for me

It is so relatable when someone posted their family members holding up their quilts for them, again and again, after each quilt finish. 

Have you tried making a quilt with quilt-as-you-go technique before?

 

quilt as you go free motion quilting design practice

NOTE : I no longer promote Craftsy/Bluprint as I used to due to the way the subscription is currently being carried out. I had the issue of cancelling my subscription when the company changed hand and I find that cancelling through calls is inconvenient. However, I do still stand behind these classes I promote and if you are subscribed, you can surely check these classes I recommend on the platform. If you are looking for another online platform to learn craft such as quilting, do check out CreativeBug. It is much cheaper in subscription (subscribe now 3 months for only $5). Thank you.

I am sharing with you today how I quilted block 24 – Crosses and Losses. Another alternative Loop Motif – a clamshell strand.

If you are new here, this post is a part of my quilt-as-you-go my Sewcial Bee Sampler, a sew-along hosted by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell. I plan to share along the process with some tips and tutorial.

As usual, I have two blocks made for two quilts, one with custom quilting and one with allover quilting. Both would be a great practice if you are looking towards improving your free-motion skill. I am still practicing myself, especially with the custom quilting. I am learning as I go, so let’s do this together!

NOTE : I no longer promote Craftsy/Bluprint as I used to due to the way the subscription is currently being carried out. I had the issue of cancelling my subscription when the company changed hand and I find that cancelling through calls is inconvenient. However, I do still stand behind these classes I promote and if you are subscribed, you can surely check these classes I recommend on the platform. If you are looking for another online platform to learn craft such as quilting, do check out CreativeBug. It is much cheaper in subscription (subscribe now 3 months for only $5). Thank you.

 

I am sharing with you today how I quilted block 17 – Spools. In this post, you’ll learn how to free motion quilt a cute leafy strands motif and see how I have incorporated feathers into the custom quilt block this time.

If you are new here, this post is a part of my quilt-as-you-go my Sewcial Bee Sampler, a sew-along hosted by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell. I plan to share along the process with some tips and tutorial.

As usual, I have two blocks made for two quilts, one with custom quilting and one with allover quilting. Both would be a great practice if you are looking towards improving your free-motion skill. I am still practicing myself, especially with the custom quilting. I am learning as I go, so let’s do this together!

NOTE : I no longer promote Craftsy/Bluprint as I used to due to the way the subscription is currently being carried out. I had the issue of cancelling my subscription when the company changed hand and I find that cancelling through calls is inconvenient. However, I do still stand behind these classes I promote and if you are subscribed, you can surely check these classes I recommend on the platform. If you are looking for another online platform to learn craft such as quilting, do check out CreativeBug. It is much cheaper in subscription (subscribe now 3 months for only $5). Thank you.
 

I am sharing with you today how I quilted block 23 – Friendship Star. You’ll learn how to free motion quilt allover star strokes motif and how to create a dynamic look with custom free motion quilting using simple free motion curves.

If you are new here, this post is a part of my quilt-as-you-go my Sewcial Bee Sampler, a sew-along hosted by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell. I plan to share along the process with some tips and tutorial.

As usual, I have two blocks made for two quilts, one with custom quilting and one with allover quilting. Both would be a great practice if you are looking towards improving your free-motion skill. I am still practicing myself, especially with the custom quilting. I am learning as I go, so let’s do this together!

NOTE : I no longer promote Craftsy/Bluprint as I used to due to the way the subscription is currently being carried out. I had the issue of cancelling my subscription when the company changed hand and I find that cancelling through calls is inconvenient. However, I do still stand behind these classes I promote and if you are subscribed, you can surely check these classes I recommend on the platform. If you are looking for another online platform to learn craft such as quilting, do check out CreativeBug. It is much cheaper in subscription (subscribe now 3 months for only $5). Thank you.

I am sharing with you today how I quilted block 21 – Hourglass. There are various quilting motif I tried for the blocks of this Sewcial Bee Sampler, so make sure you check out the archives.

If you are new here, this post is a part of my quilt-as-you-go my Sewcial Bee Sampler, a sew-along hosted by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell. I plan to share along the process with some tips and tutorial.

As usual, I have two blocks made for two quilts, one with custom quilting and one with allover quilting. Both would be a great practice if you are looking towards improving your free-motion skill. I am still practicing myself, especially with the custom quilting. I am learning as I go, so let’s do this together!

NOTE : I no longer promote Craftsy/Bluprint as I used to due to the way the subscription is currently being carried out. I had the issue of cancelling my subscription when the company changed hand and I find that cancelling through calls is inconvenient. However, I do still stand behind these classes I promote and if you are subscribed, you can surely check these classes I recommend on the platform. If you are looking for another online platform to learn craft such as quilting, do check out CreativeBug. It is much cheaper in subscription (subscribe now 3 months for only $5). Thank you.

I am sharing with you today how I quilted block 22 – Mosaic. In this post, you’ll learn how to free motion quilt a meandering leaf motif and two more motif to quilt a flying geese block.

If you are new here, this post is a part of my quilt-as-you-go my Sewcial Bee Sampler, a sew-along hosted by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell. I plan to share along the process with some tips and tutorial.

As usual, I have two blocks made for two quilts, one with custom quilting and one with allover quilting. Both would be a great practice if you are looking towards improving your free-motion skill. I am still practicing myself, especially with the custom quilting. I am learning as I go, so let’s do this together!

NOTE : I no longer promote Craftsy/Bluprint as I used to due to the way the subscription is currently being carried out. I had the issue of cancelling my subscription when the company changed hand and I find that cancelling through calls is inconvenient. However, I do still stand behind these classes I promote and if you are subscribed, you can surely check these classes I recommend on the platform. If you are looking for another online platform to learn craft such as quilting, do check out CreativeBug. It is much cheaper in subscription (subscribe now 3 months for only $5). Thank you.
 

I am sharing with you today how I quilted block 20 – Irish Chain Variation.

If you are new here, this post is a part of my quilt-as-you-go my Sewcial Bee Sampler, a sew-along hosted by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell. I plan to share along the process with some tips and tutorial.

As usual, I have two blocks made for two quilts, one with custom quilting and one with allover quilting. Both would be a great practice if you are looking towards improving your free-motion skill. I am still practicing myself, especially with the custom quilting. I am learning as I go, so let’s do this together!