Sampler Blocks to Quilt Top: 150 Canadian Women

This is a process post so photo intensive. It does us little good to look at a finished quilt top, and try to figure out how the quilter did it. Mine happened organically, and may not be the right way or your way, but it evolved into a quilt I both like and will use. Let me explain.

These 6.5" UF blocks were from a quilt along called 150 Canadian Women, and blocks were released two at a time. I later bought the cd to support the maker, and had access to any blocks I'd missed. True to most sampler quilts, I burned out part way through. I had over 60 blocks when I came across them last year, and knew I wanted to make a medallion setting with them. 

I found another orphan block in my stack of stars, and decided it would be a great focal block. I began by setting it in a square block, and added my first border. Other fabrics from my stash were pinned on the wall as the frame of blocks was created.

I sewed the first sets of blocks together to get an accurate measurement of rows. I wound up picking apart and resewing blocks so they could be sewn properly to the center. Three blocks to each side of the side then top and bottom borders. Each border added to this quilt was made generously large so it could be trimmed down to an exact size. Some borders wound up slightly different widths vertically and horizontally. I was okay with that as you see it frequently in older quilts. You make it fit. 

Here is the center with border and a round of blocks completed. The next row of blocks is being sewn.

Here I've sewn the next block together, and added its border to get an accurate measurement of space that needs filled. 

I decided the space was too large to just fill it with a fabric border, and created the quarter square triangle blocks. I also added border strips to the second round of blocks. That was a major mistake, and took me time to figure out. I could not make the math work out! Dang. I'd worked from the center out repeatedly then switched to working inward with that border. As hard as it was, I tore it off, and added it to the center keeping with the building outward. The mistake was noted! Medallion quilts work from the center outward.

The border that came off went on to the center, and the next round of blocks went together once again to get an accurate measurement of what went inside the round.

Blocks and borders were on the wall, on the floor, and so on as fabric for the next borders was auditioned. This design process took a full two weeks of interrupted work.

I was keenly tempted to wrap things up at this point, but the quilt would have been short in length and wide in width. The measurements of the blocks with the frame above would be close to the measurements of a double bed, and I didn't have a double. So onward I worked.

This border was a game changer. It softened the quilt and calmed the eye, but there were still two more lonely rows up there. I also thought it was too red with all the borders.

I had now run out of two border fabrics in the deep red. Also, my remaining block borders were too short for the red print I'd just added. What to do??

Repeat a design element for cohesiveness. I added 4 QST blocks at the corners, and added blue borders to both sides to bring both vertical rows of blocks up to size. But it still needed length to tuck under the pillow area and fold over the foot of the bed.

One more marathon afternoon to make 26 more QST blocks to fix the length. 

Then navy borders on both ends to complete it. I was terribly glad to have this one done, and off the design wall. It's awaiting its day on the longarm now, and I'm so glad I stuck with it. The Marathon Medallion quilt.

Please share what projects you're tackling this season. It's been very quiet here lately, and I'd love to know what's on your own walls or in your finished pile.

Come on, Doxie girls.

Let's go sew.