It’s hard to believe we’re already in the seventh month of the Piece and Quilt Sampler Quilt Along! The quilt along using the Celebrate with Quilts book by Lissa Alexander and Susan Ache is being hosted by Fat Quarter Shop. This month brought two new quilt blocks to my sampler quilt, and I can’t wait to share them with you. For October, I made 4 Tulip Lady Fingers blocks that were sewn together into one large block, as well as 1 Arizona quilt block. Each block added its own charm and challenge to this quilt.
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Celebrate with Quilts Book
The Celebrate with Quilts is a brand new book by Lissa Alexander and Susan Ache. Each of the 60 quilt block patterns have cutting instructions for 3 inch, 6 inch, 9 inch, and 12 inch finished quilt blocks. The assembly instructions for each block are so easy to follow either by the text or by the step-by-step pictures. I love a well written pattern, and I know if it’s done by It’s Sew Emma and Fat Quarter Shop, it’s going to be great.
Piece and Quilt Sampler Quilt
Here is a Quick Look at what I came up with for my fabric placement using Electric Quilt 8 to help me.
Related Post: Piece and Quilt Sampler Month 5
Piece and Quilt Sampler Quilt Along – Month 6
The seventh month of the quilt along features three quilt blocks from the Celebrate with Quilts book. The blocks made this month were as follows:
- 4 – 6″ Tulip Lady Fingers
- 1 – 12″ Arizona
Using my Electric Quilt layout as a guide, I made the quilt blocks in the fabrics I already chose.
Tulip Lady Fingers Quilt Blocks
For this month, the first block I worked on was the Tulip Lady Fingers quilt block. This block was a fun take on a traditional nine-patch quilt block and provided a nice combination of simplicity and detail.
Block Construction:
The Tulip Lady Fingers block is made up of four smaller 6-inch blocks that are then sewn together to create one large block. Each of the four quilt blocks features a traditional nine-patch layout. The corners of each block are small 4-patch units, each made up of half-square triangle units and one solid square. The rest of the block consists of coordinating fabric squares, creating a balanced and colorful look. Once I sewed the four blocks together, the finished block had an intricate yet cohesive design that added a lovely pop of texture to the quilt.
Piecing Tips:
While the half-square triangles are straightforward, precise cutting and trimming ensured that my blocks stayed square. Taking time to match up seams when piecing the smaller blocks together also helped achieve that clean, polished look.
Arizona Quilt Block
The second block for Month 7 was the Arizona quilt block, which required a bit more time and precision due to the number of pieces involved. However, the final result was well worth the effort!
Block Construction:
The Arizona block is a 12-inch block filled with piecing details. This quilt block includes 12 half-square triangle units, 4 flying geese units, four rectangles, and 5 squares of varying sizes. The combination of these units creates a geometric, dynamic block that brings a lot of visual interest to the sampler quilt.
Piecing Tips:
Precision is key with the Arizona block. With so many pieces, accurate cutting and trimming ensured everything aligned perfectly. I found it helpful to chain piece the half-square triangles and flying geese units to speed up the process. Once all the units were prepared, assembling the block was fairly straightforward, but I made sure to press my seams as I went along to keep everything laying flat.
Celebrate with Quilts
I can’t emphasize enough how invaluable the “Celebrate with Quilts” book is for every quilter. The variety of block sizes it offers allows for easy substitutions in any pattern, making it perfect for adding a unique twist to your projects. The Piece and Quilt Sampler pattern is also fantastic for scrap-busting, as it makes excellent use of those tricky low-volume fabrics in your collection.
Piece and Quilt Sampler Month 7 Progress
With these two new blocks complete, the sampler quilt is coming together beautifully. The mix of smaller, more intricate blocks like the Tulip Lady Fingers and the larger, more detailed Arizona block adds so much variety to the overall design. Itās exciting to see how the different blocks play off each other as the quilt top grows.
Until next month, Happy Quilting!
