The Sampler Quilt - Close up

Sometime in 1993 I decided I needed a hobby. Someone from work brought in a sampler quilt that they were working on and I just loved the fabrics they had chosen. I had never quilted before but I had done alot of sewing when I was younger. I found out where they took the class and I signed up for the next set of classes.

This is the sampler quilt I started then. All of the fabrics were bought at the time. I don't know if I would have chosen some of the fabrics if I was starting now. Most of the blocks are made with templates ( two templates - one for the cutting line and one for the sewing line) and most of the blocks are sewn together by hand. The Log cabin block and the Rail fence block were cut with a Rotary cutter and sewn on the machine - the rest of the blocks were cut with sissors. The Baby Blocks block was paper piecing and the doves are applique. I think I completed about 6 blocks through the course of the class. I can't remember it was so long ago. I think it took about 6 years just to finish all the blocks. The sashing was cut 1/2 inch to small ( because I forgot a 12 inch block unfinished is 12 and 1/2 inches) I finally finished the entire top about 5 years ago and I had it machine basted together and have been hand quilting it ever since.

I did find a new hobby out of this quilt though and I have started and finished alot of projects in the process of finishing this one. I did learn alot during the making of this quilt - and I never used those plastic templates again!