Even with Stay At Home orders in full effect this summer, we didn’t let that stop us from banding together online to stay connected, learn new skills, and find entertainment! I know I really appreciated the effort from companies and individuals alike so that we could feel camaraderie in our isolation.

One of those efforts was the Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge, where a new traditional quilt block tutorial was shared for 12 weeks (you can find my block contribution and a link to all the block tutorials on this post here), and participants got to share their blocks on social media using the hashtag #rbdblockchallenge.

One of the tricky parts about a sampler type quilt is figuring out a final layout. I had decided to make 12″ AND 6″ blocks of each design using my Flutter and Shine fabric line with Riley Blake Designs, so I knew I needed twice as many small blocks to at least balance the larger blocks. The final quilt would, with some additional sashing or a border, be a decent throw quilt for our home.

I’ll be honest, some of these blocks weren’t my favorite! For instance, I’m not a fan of churn dash blocks (What? I know. It’s crazy.) and Shoo Fly blocks aren’t high on my list either, even though both blocks are very simple and an easily satisfying finish. The Bear Paw block looks incredible but took a long time, especially since I rather like keeping my points! So, although I used all 12 blocks from the tutorials, I did make blocks in additional designs too to balance out the blocks of which I didn’t want to make extra small duplicates!

Other block designs included:

  • Dutchman’s Puzzle
  • Granny Square
  • Disappearing 9-patch
  • Snowball Block
  • Rail Fence
  • Hugs and Kisses

You can find all kinds of block tutorials on my Quilt Block Tutorials Pinterest Board!

After the blocks were all done, I decided to give each block its time in the limelight so I bordered them with white sashing. My arrangement fit with the color scheme of my fabric- all the bright colors with white around to make it pop! Amy of Diary of a Quilter added fabric squares to her sampler and ended up with a larger quilt layout, which I thought was a good idea too.

I haven’t participated in a sew-along before, or a swap, or anything like that (I tend to get bored with projects if they take too long, so I speed through them- not good for an organized sew along!) so this was a new experience for me. I LOVED seeing everyone post their blocks each week! It was fun to see the different fabrics and tastes from all the participants.

I did get antsy for the new block after I finished the one for the week, but it helped me to put the project aside and out of sight in between. I’m discovering that I’m not among the majority when I say I have only one or two WIP’s going at a time! This project was an exercise in patience and I think I did pretty well with it :

This sampler was a good project for me to do, because even as a quilter of over a decade, there were several traditional blocks that I’d never had the opportunity to make before. That was a good experience! No matter how many years I’ve been quilting, there is always something new to learn or try.

Happy Quilting!