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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 J from the pattern. 

Good morning, all! I can't believe how close we're getting to the end of the quilt along! Just two more blocks after this month, and then we can start putting our tops together (which I can't wait to do!). 

I found this month's block to be pretty straightforward. I sewed two sets of strips together, cut them into four pieces each, and then sewed them back together in the arrangement suggested by the pattern. I think the resulting block is quite pretty!

Now let's see your blocks!

HOW TO LINK UP
1. Click the "Add your link" button below, and link to a blog post or Instagram photo of your Block J. 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.

A few weeks ago, the kind folks over at Riley Blake Designs invited me to participate in their Quilt-It Modern blog tour, which starts today. The tour is all about showcasing the fabric company's impressive range of cotton solids, so I was excited to have the chance to try out their fabrics and work on a new wall quilt design for the shop.

I love looking to geometric patterns, especially tile patterns, for quilt design inspiration. During a night of Pinterest browsing I came across this tile pattern and immediately started envisioning it in fabric and began sketching. My sketch became this mini quilt. I used white and two shades of coral and peach to create hourglass triangle blocks, which replicated the tile design.

I love olive + peach paired together (as evidenced in this recent quilt), so I bound the quilt with a solid olive, and backed it with an olive polka-dot print by Spin Spin. 

I made lots of extra hourglass blocks, so two of these quilts are now available in the shop. Each one has corner triangles and loops for hanging, and will ship with a wooden dowel. 

I really enjoyed working with these solids---they were super soft!---and I can't wait to see what other colors everyone else is working with. You can follow the blog tour, and see all of the quilt projects made for it, by checking out the hashtag #ModernQuiltTour now through July 8. 

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!