A Block Round-Up Etc. Etc.

Have you seen the "Design Your Own Sampler" sew-along over at Sew Mama Sew? Sarah/Sarah Quilts has created a fun Neon Sampler and will help you design a sampler of your very own.

As part of the sew along, Sew Mama Sew asked me to pull together a list of free block tutorials that you may want to consider using in your sampler. You'll find both traditionally pieced and paper-pieced blocks - and even one combo!

I didn't see Sarah's sampler as I was rounding up the blocks, or I would have included some of various sizes. In my mind's eye was the modern sampler I once made with the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee, where the blocks were all 12" finished, so that's what I gathered. Sarah's quilt uses different sized blocks, and you may need to change the size of a certain block you want to include. Though some of the block tutorials I list do give directions for a variety of sizes or are at least easy to modify. If your block is smaller than what's needed, consider the easy fix of just adding a border around the block. Paper-pieced blocks, of course, can be printed at a different percentage. So there's a variety of ways to adjust to what you need. And don't forget the fun of filler blocks. You can always make very simple blocks in any size you want!

Leanne/shecanquilt and Jess/Elven Garden are writing a very informative series called Decipher Your Quilt. All about quilt math, they are discussing a variety of block types, and it's a handy resource for a sampler quilt. You can find their posts here and here. Sarah suggests a block encyclopedia such as 500 Quilt Blocks, which happens to have a variety of sized-blocks, and that's a terrific suggestion. Another good resource would be Tula Pink's City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks, where all 100 blocks are 6" finished. So many of those blocks would be easily adapted to the size you needed. And of course, there's always the option of drafting your own unique block. See? The possibilities are endless!

There's already several eager folks posting their beginning designs on Instagram, using the hashtag #dyosampler. Peek there, then check out Sarah's "how to" post and my "22 Favorite Quilt Blocks". You'll be designing your own sampler in no time!