My Signature Sampler Week #17

Here we are, week #17 and reveal finale of the My Signature Sampler sew along! I feel like I have a documentation of this years spring and summer flowers all stitched into a beautiful sampler quilt.

It’s been a joy sewing with my Signature fabrics for Art Gallery Fabrics (AGF) and a treat for me to see so many of you also sewing with my Signature collection or with other fabric collections I’ve designed for AGF. I’ve seen so many amazing new fabric pairings that I’m seriously thinking the next sampler sew along I host will be to make a quilt in prints from across my collections. But, that wouldn’t be until early next year—which will be here before we know it.

Assembly

For this week’s blog post it’s all about assembling the blocks and finishing your quilt. Luckily for me in writing this post, I’ve already covered the tips and tricks for quilt finishing in other sew along post so, if you need extra help with assembling your top, be watching for links to previous tutorials throughout the text in this post.

I've been adding the setting triangles to my finished blocks as I constructed them but many of you may have been waiting to finish all your blocks before deciding on fabric choices and block arrangements, which I completely understand so this post is dedicated to assembly and finishing.

I used a combination of my Perennial print from Printemps Fusions and Untamed Beauty Daybreak from Signature as the background setting of my quilt and stuck to original layout found in the first week handouts.

The setting triangles are made by cutting a 9-1/2'' square on the diagonal to make two setting triangles. Be mindful of print direction, if applicable. See Community Sampler Week #13 for block setting instructions. 

Here’s a look at my sampler top after stitching all the setting triangles and blocks together. This is the original option without the added Chevron borders added.

If you're interested in adding a Chevron border to your sampler quilt, take a look at the My Signature Sampler week #6 blog post and pick up the border supplement PDF. In the suppliment PDF I also talk about working with directional prints in the borders so please read instructions through thoroughly before beginning.

For my finished sampler I decided to use the top and bottom Chevron border option. This make the quilt a rectangle rather than a square and gives the effect of fringe on the two short ends of the quilt. I love the coral Extempore Celebration floral print addition on the Chevron borders and it plays beautifully to pop the Flamingo Pure Elements solid used in the frames of some of the blocks.

I was height-challenged when clipping my quilt to this fence at the local arboretum but I got the job done and this quilt just begged to be photographed outdoors. I only wish there were more flowers in bloom this time of year in Ohio. Oh well, the quilt makes up for what nature could not provide!

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I'm directing you to the blog post for Finishing that was originally posted during the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew along. You'll find all the tutorial information for spray basting, quilting, and binding your quilt. The sizes have changed but the concept for basting, quilting, and binding your quilt are the same. As stated in that post, there are many ways to finish a quilt and I am blogging about how I finish my quilts. If you have a preferred method, please do it the way you're comfortable with. If you intend to send your top off to be professionally quilted, discuss with your long-arm quilter how they'd like you to prepare your quilt top and backing for being quilted. 

QUILTING

I'm not a professional quilter by any means. I get by and call my quilting style "organic" because it's not perfect and lines are not straight. I love the human touch that non-perfect quilting adds to my quilts.

I used my favorite Hobb’s Tuscany Silk batting inside my quilt and love how light and drapey a quilt this size can be with silk batting inside. Especially for handling and maneuvering a large quilt when quilting on a mid-arm machine.

For a floral quilt like this, I wanted to go floral all the way and chose to do an all-over, organic stylized flower motif. This gives a dense quilting effect of timeless look and feel. I’ve not washed my quilt yet so it’s not even gotten any of that crinkly goodness laundering would add.

The backing on my quilt is from my Signature fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics and is called Venture Forward seen here with the last few blooms of summer. I like the addition of this geometric print amongst all the florals and it reminds me of a trellis. For the binding I went with the Lateral Bud Profusion print from this same collection and it frames up the quilt nicely with that incredible teal color.

GIVEAWAY

This week’s our final Friday Giveaway for the My Signature Sampler sew along. This sew along was sponsored by the most amazing companies that generously donated incredible prizes to share with you. I want to give a big thank you to all my sponsors for their part in making this sew along so much fun!

OUR SPONSORS

THIS WEEK'S GIVEAWAY SPONSOR IS: Quilter’s Candy Box

The Quilter’s Candy Box began in 2016 by Elizabeth Chappell with a wish to surprise and delight quilters with an exciting quilting experience of novelty and boutique notions, patterns, the latest fabrics, and of course, yummy treats all contained in a monthly subscription box. With a motto of, “Satisfy your quilters craving” Quilter’s Candy Box was born.

Quilter’s Candy Box is a curated monthly subscription of quilting treats and a dessert, delivered right to your door. Every box has 5 to 8 items. In each box you’ll be surprised with beautiful fabric, an exciting pattern, and a delicious treat plus quality and unique quilting notions you’re sure to love!

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When one project ends another one begins! So, for the My Signature Sampler finale giveaway prize, one lucky winner here on the blog will receive the October Quilter’s Candy Box.

Note: This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents, sorry international friends. See giveaway rules for details.

Who doesn’t love a surprise?

The Quilter’s Candy Box contents are kept a secret until subscription boxes land in hundreds of waiting mail boxes (around the middle of each month). Even now I cannot show you what the October box will contain but I can give you a little hint! The October box will include fabrics from Amy Sinibaldi’s beautiful new Sonata collection for Art Gallery Fabrics and sure to be amazing!

Giveaway now closed. Congratulations to Barbara Matzat!

Note: This giveaway is open to US address only for this prize. If you're a "no reply" or anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment--you can't win if I can't get a hold of you!

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (First comment entry).

2. Follow Quilter’s Candy Box on any of their social media platforms (see links above). Just let me know that you did by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (Separate comment-second entry). 

3. My followers get a third entry! If you follow me via subscribing to my posts, on Pinterest, and/or Instagram, just let me know by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (Separate comment-third entry).

4. Help spread the word!! I know that many of you already do, so I thought it would be nice to add that as another way to enter! Spread the word about the My Signature Sampler sew along on YOUR instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest by pinning any of my pretty images in this post, etc... (separate comment-fourth entry). 

That’s FOUR possible entries—maximum! Enter now through Monday, October 15th! The winner will be picked at random around 4pm Eastern. I will post the name of the winner on this post once they've been notified and responded to my email.

Don't forget to enter into this same giveaway on Instagram by posting images of your sampler inspiration, sampler fabric pull, or blocks. Use the official #mysignaturesampler hashtag every time you post your My Signature Sampler makes (to a public account) and you're automatically entered into the weekly IG drawings as well! See my Instagram giveaway posts @sharonhollanddesigns for full details. 

Happy sewing!

Sharon