Tuesday Archives - Two for One Sampler Quilt

This week's topic for the Tuesday Archives is "Sampler Quilts".  I've made a few sampler quilts over the years.  The first sampler quilt was made from 1930's prints and it was the subject of a previous Tuesday Archive's post on BOMs.   So it makes sense (at least to me) to post about the second and third sampler quilts out of my sewing room this time around.  

I'm including both sampler quilts because both came out of the same BOM program at the local quilt shop.  That BOM was one of the most fun and challenging I've ever participated in.  It was called the Brown Bag challenge.  The first month everyone brought in a paper bag with enough yardage to make 12 blocks and then went home with someone else's bag with instructions to make any block we wanted so long as it finished at 12".  Since these blocks were going to other quilters, many with a lot more experience than I had, I decided to pick a few of my fabrics to make "test" blocks before I made the block that had to go back in the bag.  That way I could figure out the instructions on my block and then not mess up the block that had to go back in the bag.  The plus was I'd get enough blocks from this BOM to make two quilts.  Here's what my blocks and the blocks that went back in the bag looked like.  

The block on the left of each pair is my block, the block on the right was made from the fabric in the bag I brought home each month.  It was quite a lesson in color theory.  It was a wonderful chance to work with color combinations that weren't really my style.  It was a lot of fun.  Here's the quilt made from my blocks. 

Paisley Roses finished in February 2011

I was pretty happy with how it worked out. This quilt now lives at my sister's.  

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed when I got my brown bag back at the end of the year.  My bag was short a couple of  blocks and a couple of the blocks in the bag had significant construction problems that required some rework before they could be used.  I made another 3 blocks for a complete group of 12 and then set them together.    

The Brown Bag Quilt finished in May 2011

The Brown Bag Quilt stays up in the closet till Drama Teen has a sleep over. Then it's used for cuddling while the girls eat popcorn and watch movies.  

I didn't intend to end up with two pink and green quilts, that just sorta happened.  Both quilts were wonderful learning experiences, not just in making the blocks but in coming up with setting options. 

That's all from my archives this week.  You can see more quilty history over at Val's Quilting Studio.