A Crafter Needs to Eat, Sampler Quilts, What's on the Design Wall

Quilt Top Assembled!

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Whew, I fell seriously behind in blogging again. Let’s just say I’ve been distracted by curious things going on in the country I live in (and somedays I am thinking of moving to a different country, I might be over the United States…).

I know you might be tired of reading about this quilt, but I have this one more post on it before I send it off to the longarm quilter for professional quilting.

This is a follow up to the post – And then there were 100 (yay)! – I’ve sewing together all 100 blocks for the Tula Pink’s City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks quilt:

I had looked at those blocks on my design wall so much my eyes were crossing, so I asked my partner John to come out with an initial design/layout. He likes symmetry and order and he created an initial layout and then I refined it a little.

He did it in “color rings”, where the outer ring (well square ring, ha!) is teals/blue-greens and greens with gray blocks as corner anchors. Then the next set of rings are yellows, browns and reds. The inner ring is purple with then blues in the center.

I know to some it looks like a “hot mess” but I love it!

Sewing together 100 blocks can be daunting so I sewed it together by breaking it into 4 – 25 block sections. I sewed 5 rows of 5 blocks together to make each section twice and sewed those two sections together. I repeated the process for the other side and then sewed the two halves together.

As there is so much piecing of small pieces to make each block, I stitched the entire edge of the quilt with a 1/8 inch seam to prevent unraveling during travel:

In case you are curious – the actual measurement of the quilt top came out to be 60.5 inches x 60.5 inches.

Currently I am piecing together the backing with a collection of teal/blue-green yardages I have:

And then off to the longarm quilter. You won’t see another post about this quilt (whew) until it returns to me quilted and I have put the binding on. Then I will show you the finished quilt!

Postscript

A little follow up to the post Potsticker Adventures.

We are continuing to experiment with meal prep and making meals out of the cookbook Damn Delicious Meal Prep by Chungah Rhee.

Recently I made Skinny Gumbo (a lower fat version of Louisiana Creole gumbo) and I was able to have enough for dinner that night and 3 additional servings. John’s father is in his 80s and lives alone since his wife passed in late December 2021, so we bring him meals (he lives less than a mile away) and this new meal prep process is great to make up meals for him also!

Also, strawberries were on sale, and I made homemade vanilla sugar scones and we had strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream for dessert!

Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

43 thoughts on “Quilt Top Assembled!”

  1. No kidding, right?! We are on our way back to the Middle Ages….
    Totally get the blogging thing, life gets in the way. Happy summer and enjoy your quilt!

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Hey Tierney! Just cuz you’re tired of that 100 Modern Block Quilt, doesn’t mean us readers are! Just sayin’…
    Since John helped you re-think your arrangement of the blocks – now he can claim a collaborative role in its creation! HA! Yep. I’m all for relationship boosters!
    🙂
    Can’t wait to see that pieced backing, too. Hint hint.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I love the layout, you really see the individual blocks and it’s hard to go wrong with that great fabric. I know how unhappy current events can be and I find myself isolating to avoid conversations. Even burrowing in my sewing, which brings my joy, is not enough. This too shall pass.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Nope! I am not tired of seeing this quilt!! I love it all pieced just as much as I did the individual blocks 🙂 and it’s a great idea to do that round of stitching to keep all the seams in place (Christa Watson calls it the Victory Lap! LOL).

    I’ve been eating home more often making Mediterranean style dishes like Quinoa bowls with tons of veggies, I never knew how yummy it was 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Yep, I looked into applying for Canadian citizenship since I’m married to one, but I can’t do that until we are in residence. Your quilt is stunning. Your gumbo looks delicious. I love a good gumbo!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Wowzer! Your collaboration with John has turned up a masterpiece… I love how the colours shift as you move towards the centre. And for those of us who have been a little less than diligent lately with our blogging, the extra post on this project is much appreciated 😂

    Liked by 1 person

  12. First of all, that quilt is amazing. It wins best quilt of the year from me. Secondly, if you move please make it a place with a nice climate where you start a craft retreat center that pays well and then hire me so I can go somewhere where I’m viewed as an equal citizen.

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      4. Actually John has long time work colleagues in Portugal (software company his company contracts with) and they gave us a bottle of port and some amazing chocolates (like the kind that are nearly a spiritual experience to eat, ha!) when they visited the States. We plan to go to Portugal next year and see them! (So I will scope out locations, ha!)

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  14. I too still love this quilt – plus the man’s take on how it should be – I think someone else “just sees” how to make it work – even if it’s not how you have planned – and just having them put things into a “way” – helps you and I to see something else

    Liked by 1 person

  15. I love your quilt!! I love that there is so much color and movement with the motifs, but there is a structure to it. Just amazing! Also, your gumbo and strawberry shortcake look delicious!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Wow Tierney!! Can’t wait to see the final product. I love how the arrangement of colors draws your eyes from the outer squares inward. It marries the squares together yet keeps them each an individual piece of art. Happy sewing:)

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Pingback: 100 Block Sampler Quilt Finally Done – tierneycreates

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