City Sampler Quilt Along :: Blocks 49, 50, & 51

So it kind of blows my mind that this week marks half-way through the City Sampler book! The best part? I still look forward to these blocks every week and just plain enjoy making them. That's good!

Block 49 was kind of routine - not that I'm complaining!

On the other hand, block 50 was something else! The hsts (1" finished!) weren't really the problem - I used the alternate hst method I shared last week, so those were a breeze. (For the record, I guessed and used 3" squares - a little larger than necessary but better than being too small.) The issue was really that I'm a scant 1/4" kind of gal, and this block really needed a full 1/4". So a little unstitching and restitching took care of that, and I'm really pleased with the finished block.

Block 51 was pretty matter of fact and I really like it - simple flying geese but very nice.

And to mark the half-way point of block construction, I updated my preview grid. I'm pretty pleased to see the color orientation coming through. And I like it!

(To make your own grid, click here.)

Linking up with Sew Sweetness.

City Sampler Quilt Along :: Blocks 34, 35, & 36

This week we moved into the "Triangles" section of the book with block 36.

I also received my charms from the Tula Pink Charm Square Swap, so I have alot more prints to work with!

So things are going well, and my grid is filling up! (instructions to make your own grid here)

City Sampler Quilt Along :: Blocks 22, 23, & 24 + Creating a Block Grid

This week's blocks were a welcome diversion after an evening spent with my seam ripper. They went together without a hitch!

You may remember that after seeing this chart by Teri Emerson/craktpot, I really wanted to make a grid with my own blocks!

(Note one correction: the one in the 1st row marked 1D should be 89.) 

So I did!

None of the photo editing software I had would let me save the grid as a graphic and then add to it each week. So hubby suggested an Excel spreadsheet, and it seems to work fine for what I wanted!

Some of you were interested in replicating my grid, and I'm happy to share the steps to make it. Please keep in mind that we may be using different operating systems and software versions, which would obviously affect your outcome. I happen to have Microsoft Office 2007 and my computer is running Windows 7. But hopefully by my sharing what I did, you'll be able to create a grid too, even with some adjustments. 

Click here for a pdf with instructions for how I created mine. And if you do make one, I'd love to see it!