Making a Sampler Quilt-Part 1

More than 250 of Nancy Cabot's blocks have been posted on this blog so far. I'm taking a little break from posting blocks to work on designing my sampler quilt.

Have you decided how you are going to use your blocks? Over the next several days, I will be giving you some ideas on how to make a sampler quilt and other items from your Nancy Cabot blocks. Make the blocks you love and use them in a quilt or quilted project.

One of the easiest ways to join the blocks in a sampler quilt is to alternate the blocks with plain squares.  In the first example, I have used blocks that I made with a white background and added white plain squares and a white 1" inner border before adding a 4 1/2" outer border. I think this method works best when there are an odd number of blocks in each row so that a block ends up in each corner instead of a plain square. This type of quilt takes the least number of blocks. To make a queen size quilt, you need 98 6" Nancy Cabot blocks and 97 6" plain blocks. I am referring to finished size when I say 6" blocks so your plain blocks would be cut at 6 1/2".

The next example shows the blocks set with 1" wide white sashing strips with contrasting cornerstones, a 1" wide inner border and a 4 1/2" outer border. You need 132 blocks to make a queen size quilt using this layout. Other options would be to use sashing without cornerstones or make each cornerstone from a different fabric.

This example changes the color of the sashing to match the color of the border, eliminates the inner border, and changes the cornerstones to white. This quilt uses the same number of blocks as the one above but how different it looks with the colors reversed!

For more information on what size to make your quilt, check out this information from Quiltmaker magazine or allpeoplequilt.com.

Have an extra block or a favorite block you want to use? I think a single block is a good size for a pot holder. But, if you like a bigger pot holder, add a border to your block to make it the size you want. Just make your pot holder exactly like you would a quilt (but much smaller). You can add a layer of Insul-Bright Insulated Lining in addition to your cotton batting to make your hot pad more heat resistant.

Leave me a comment with your ideas for designing a sampler quilt!

Tomorrow-Making a Sampler Quilt-Part 2