Announcing the 10th Anniversary Summer Sampler Quilt Along

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We want to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Summer Sampler, and we want you to join us in this free quilt along!! #summersamplerturns10

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But first, a story.

Ten years ago, in the spring of 2011, Faith Jones, Lee Heinrich, and I met online. It seems hard to believe now, but at the time, there was very little crossover between the burgeoning (mostly) online modern quilting world and the traditional quilting world, online and in established quilt guilds, neighborhood quilt groups, etc.

Faith had purchased Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilting, and I had just visited the Quilts: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. In our email conversations, the three of us saw an opportunity: why not incorporate some of the incredible traditional quilts and blocks we were “discovering” into our work, and host a quilt along to share our excitement with the larger online quilting world!

Summer Sampler Series Quilt by Katie Blakesley swimbikequilt.com

Summer Sampler Series Quilt by Katie Blakesley swimbikequilt.com

I learned so much that year—I had never hosted a quilt along, or even really written stand alone block patterns. We had so many people join who were just as excited as we were! Fun fact: my original Summer Sampler Quilt is folded nicely at the foot of my bed right now. It is one of my all time favorite quilts, and I used Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt in the quilt. It is bright, and cheery, and so different than anything else I had made.

Faith Jones’ Summer Sampler Series Quilt freshlemonsquilts.com

Faith Jones’ Summer Sampler Series Quilt freshlemonsquilts.com

Which leads us to our big announcement! We want to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Summer Sampler Series, and we would love to have you join us!

Lee, Faith and I are hosting a 10 Year Anniversary Summer Sampler Quilt Along. The quilt along will start next Wednesday, February 17, and continue until May 5. We will post the block tutorials according to the schedule at the end of this post. We hope that you will join us!!

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Quilt Along at a Glance

  • 12 blocks, measuring 12-1/2’’ x 12-1/2’’ [unfinished]

  • a mix of traditional piecing and paper piecing

  • perfect for beginners; some of the blocks will have accompanying [new] videos

  • a block of the week quilt along, running from February 17-May 5

  • Please share your photos on Instagram using the hashtag: #summersamplerturns10

  • The quilt along is completely free—you don’t have to sign up to participate. Instead, visit our blogs each week for a free tutorial. If you would prefer to have a pdf download all at once, you can purchase one below.

  • If you don’t want to have to check our blogs each week for the links, sign up below to get an email each Wednesday during the quilt along with a link to the block tutorial.

Fabric Requirements

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I think I am going to use a selection of light, medium, and darker blues for my Summer Sampler. I pulled some fabric last week and this is at least what I’m starting with! All prints, no white. I’m looking forward to it!

You need the equivalent of about 1/4 for each block, about 3 yards of fabric total. If you plan to use the same background color for every block, we recommend about 2 yards of background fabric, plus 8-12 fat eighths in various colors/prints.

This FREE quilt along is a fun, casual quilt along, and there will not be a Facebook group like there is for our annual, paid, Summer Samplers. Instead, please follow along with the #summersamplerturns10 hashtag on Instagram.

If you want a printable version, please purchase a pdf copy of all of the Summer Sampler Series block and finishing patterns.

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This is a 12 week quilt along, running from February 17-May 5, 2021, and the schedule is below! #summersamplerturns10

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Feb. 17 - Star of Virginia (Katie)

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Feb. 24 - Greek Cross (Faith)

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March 3 - Mosaic (Lee)

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March 10 - Flower Garden Path (Katie)

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March 17 - "Star" (Faith)

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March 24 - Arkansas Traveler (Lee)

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March 31 - Six-Pointed String Star (Katie)

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April 7 - Lucky Pieces (Faith)

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April 14 - Minnesota (Lee)

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April 21 - Evening Star (Katie)

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April 28 - Rocky Road to Kansas (Faith)

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May 5 - Kansas Dust Storm (Lee)

Katie Blakesley10 Comments