There are a few quilts that every quilter should make at some point in their quilting career. Everyone should make a scrappy quilt, because of all the remnants that we gather over the years. What else are you going to do with them? Everyone should make a quilt for charity. It is just good for the soul.

And everyone should make a sampler quilt. It doesn’t matter if you are a traditionalist or a modernist, a sampler quilt is a great way to try multiple blocks and create something beautiful. A classic sampler quilt would have the different blocks sewn together with or without sashing, but are often scrappy with lots of colors. Mary Jo made this spectacular and more modern sampler quilt from a kit that she bought at her local quilt shop. Isn’t it wonderful?

Mary Jo's Quilt

The color palette is amazing. The grays and blues go wonderfully together along with the accent fabric which has that pop of green. They even incorporated some ombre fabric that really adds another dimension to the top. The secondary design behind the sample blocks is also spot on. I like the little popped corners in the sashing. Do you see what I’m talking about?

Look at the corners of the sample blocks. There are strips of the blue on either side of the gray geese so that the on point square in the secondary design isn’t straight intentionally. The line kind of dips down before coming back to touch the corners of the sample blocks. Such a different take on a classic design. It makes them less square and more blossoms.

Snowy Day

When we got the quilt, I thought that we should quilt it with gray to match so much of the background. But Mary Jo requested blue, and I am so glad that she did. Doesn’t the quilting just pop? The blue thread just draws that blue color out over the gray making the snowflake design of the quilting really stand out. The design she chose is called Snowy Day, so you can see in the pictures it has a lot of swirls and snowflakes. It goes really well with the icy blue and gray of the quilt top. What a great way to finish this modern sampler!

As classic as a sampler quilt can be, there are definitely ways to update and modernize it. Using Ombre fabric or a more modern color scheme can be the first step. Having that secondary design in the background can also be a great way to put some angles that wouldn’t normally be there. Afterwards, be sure to send us a picture or tag us in your Instagram post. We’d love to see what you’ve been creating!