Blog / quilt block

For the second year in a row, I designed the free Row by Row Experience pattern for Pintuck & Purl, a yarn and fabric shop in Exeter, NH. (You can learn all about Row by Row here.) For this year's theme of "On the Go," I designed this block featuring two rows of hand-appliquéd tires with Liberty of London rims.  

Since each tire and rim are hand sewn to individual blocks, the row is super portable and perfect for tucking into your carry-on or beach bag. I did a fun little interview for the Pintuck & Purl blog about the row, its inspiration, and even a bit about my background, in case you'd like to learn more. 

The only way to get your hands on this pattern is to visit Pintuck & Purl in person between now and September 5. The shop also has a handful of kits available for purchase, which include those yummy bits of Liberty of London Tana Lawn. If you can't make it to the shop this summer, the pattern will be available for purchase through Pintuck & Purl after November 1, 2017. 

And if you're itching for more hand-appliqué inspiration and projects, be sure to check out Crazy Mom Quilts' "dot your i's" quilt, Suzy Quilts' free Aria Quilt pattern, and Carolyn Friedlander's book, Savor Each Stitch. 

The Modern Sampler Quilt Along is an informal and virtual quilt along where we make a block from Yoshiko Jinzenji's Modern Sampler Quilt pattern each month. You can follow the hashtag #modernsamplerquiltalong on Instagram to get a peek at everyone's blocks, fabrics, and progress, as we work our way through the pattern together. All are welcome to join the quilt along at any point! On the last Tuesday of each month, we gather here to share the blocks we've made; this month we worked on Block L, the final block, from the pattern. 

We made it to the final block---yay! Congrats to everyone who's made it to this point. My Block L is pictured here. I pieced the triangles using the traditional paper piecing method, which helped me keep the points crisp and even. How did you piece your block?

There are SO many beautiful blocks on Instagram, and I can't wait to see them all put together! The goal for next month is to share our completed quilt tops here, which will include a few appliquéd strips. I've already started to trim my blocks down to 12.5", and am working on a layout now. The link-up for finished quilts will go live at the end of October, which means there's still plenty of time to get your blocks done and your quilts put together, even if you're just joining us now. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Please share your final blocks below!

HOW TO LINK UP

1. Click the "Add your link" button below, and link to a blog post or Instagram photo of your Block L. In the "Link Title" field, enter your blog name or Instagram handle.

2. If you're linking to a blog post, please link back to this post somewhere in your post. If you're linking to an Instagram photo, be sure to tag your photo with the hashtag #modernsamplerquiltalong.

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For this year's Row by Row Experience (an annual quilt shop hop where store visitors can pick up a free pattern to create a quilt row based on that summer's theme), I was tasked with creating the row for Pintuck & Purl, the fabric and yarn shop based in Exeter, NH, where I occasionally teach. 

This year's theme is "Home Sweet Home." I spent quite a bit of time with my sketchbook while designing this row, trying out different ideas which involved flying geese, front doors, and inspiration from local architecture. I eventually began playing around with the basic shapes that form a house---triangle roof and square body---sketching out ways to nest the shapes together in a simple, repeating pattern. The idea I eventually settled on was to alternate hourglass blocks with squares, and use mostly low-volume fabrics for the pieces. The houses would emerge by switching to bold colors in only a few select places. 

The final pattern is minimal, yet striking, and was a very fun experiment for me. I love that the resulting row is reminiscent of an aerial view of a neighborhood, with the dense straight-line quilting referencing roads or even plowed fields.

The free, printed pattern for this row will be available only at Pintuck & Purl, today through September 6, 2016, so be sure to stop in and grab one when you're in the area this summer!