A Quilted Sampler

I know my stitching friends are familiar with needlework samplers...but are you familiar with a sampler quilt? Sampler quilts are made up of an assortment design blocks - they are often used as a teaching tool for beginner quilters to help with skill building or for more advanced quilters to show off their skills or a variety of quilt blocks. The sewist makes a range of quilt blocks and then those finished blocks are pieced together to make a full quilt.

Several months ago, AccuQuilt asked me to create a sample for their GO! Value Die Sampler Quilt which features twelve 8" quilt blocks that can can be created with one cutting die (the GO! Value Die). This sampler quilt is perfect for a beginner quilter and/or a beginner AccuQuilt GO! user, as it is straightforward piecing of squares, triangles, and strips - and you get to try out a variety of quilt blocks. Although this quilt looks a bit complicated, it only uses three cutting dies: the GO! Value Die, the GO! Strip Cutter-4 1/2" (4" Finished), and the GO! Strip Cutter-2 1/2" (2" Finished) - and it really is simple, if you break it down block by block. It only uses six fabrics...and if you are unhappy with any of the individual quilt blocks, AccuQuilt has 72 GO! Mix & Match 8" Quilt Blocks available, so you can easily make adjustments. I made this quilt in a couple days, but you could do one block a day (or one block a week or month) and have it done in no time.

If you are in the market for a GO! Fabric Cutter, the new GO! Fabric Cutter Starter Set includes the GO! Fabric Cutter, the GO! Value Die (55018), a 6" x 12" cutting mat, a die pick, and a 20-page pattern booklet which includes the 12 block patterns and the GO! Value Die Sampler Quilt pattern I am featuring today...so you can start creating this beautiful sampler quilt right away. If you already have a fabric cutter and/or you would like to have the sampler quilt pattern, you are in luck - for a limited time, you can download the pattern, along with instructions for any/all of the 72 - 8" quilt block patterns for FREE...yep, I said free!..and that is A LOT of sewing inspiration...

You can find the GO! Value Die Sampler Quilt pattern here:
http://www.accuquilt.com/go-value-die-sampler-quilt-pattern.html

You can find each of the 72 - 8" block patterns and instructions here:
http://www.accuquilt.com/patterns/block-patterns/go-mix-match-quilt-blocks.html

You can read more about these quilt blocks and the sampler quilt on the AccuQuilt Blog:
http://www.accuquilt.com/blog/72-go-quilt-block-ideas/
http://www.accuquilt.com/blog/53-free-quilt-block-patterns/

Believe it or not, AccuQuilt has asked me to make four more of these sampler quilts, and I enjoyed the first one so much, I took on this huge job...so I will be creating four more. This quilt is a great size at 48" x 48"...maybe in my "spare time", I can make a fifth one for myself - it would make a great lap quilt! If you want to brush up on your piecing skills...or try some new quilt block designs...or perfect your triangle piecing, then I hope you will try making this sampler quilt - I think you will be impressed with yourself and how quickly it comes together!

Bright and Cheerful Sampler Quilt

I told you I would be back this week to start sharing some of the sewing/quilting projects I have been working on...and today I am excited to share a very fun sampler quilt project I recently completed for AccuQuilt. This fun sampler block quilt is made entirely with one cutting die...the GO! Value Die. The GO! Value Die includes two 2 1/2"W x 2 1/2"W triangles, one 2 1/2"W x 2 1/2"W square, and one 4 1/2"W x 4 1/2"H square, which together, can create a wide variety of blocks and borders....in fact, you would be surprised how many projects you can make with just this one die. The GO! Value Die actually comes in the GO! Fabric Cutter Starter Set, along with the GO! Fabric Cutter, a 6" x 12" cutting mat, a die pick, and a 20-page pattern booklet which includes 12 block patterns and a sampler quilt pattern (the quilt I am sharing with you today).

So, let's talk about the sampler quilt - it is 12 different blocks, each measuring 8" x 8"...and with the borders the quilt measures 48" x 48". The entire quilt top is pieced with shapes from the GO! Value Die (yep, that's it, just one single cutting die)...and the binding was cut using the GO! Strip Cutter-2 1/2". These two dies are compatible with the GO! and the GO! Baby Fabric Cutter (and with the Studio Fabric Cutter, if you use the GO! Die Adapters).

This quilt was REALLY fun to make - and is a good starter quilt. You can do one block each day, each week, or even each month...and before you know it you will have the top complete. It is also a great practice quilt if you want to work on your "point skills"...and with the precise cutting, you will be surprised how well your points match up! ...and, of course, you could use your favorite colors and fabrics to make it extra special!

If you are interested in the AccuQuilt booklet that contains all twelve block patterns (with alternate uses) and the GO! Die Sampler Quilt, you can find it as part of the GO! Fabric Cutter Starter Set. You can hear all about the this Starter Set and the sampler quilt by watching this video...and yes, the quilt hanging in the background is the one I made (it's famous!)...

I will be back soon with more of my recent projects...until then, happy creating!