Forget-Me-Not Cottage

Friendship Sampler Quilt

The quilting ladies in my small town keep the lovely tradition of making a Friendship Sampler Quilt for friends and family to mark memorable occasions.  Friendship sampler quilts have been made for families moving away, having babies, weddings, and students graduating from high school.  

Each of the quilters will make a 12 1/2" x 12 1/2" block at home. This block can be any style, color, or fabric.  One of us, usually a more seasoned quilter, volunteers to take all the quilt blocks home and sew them together with borders in a solid color that compliments all the blocks.  After that is complete, we all meet at our town hall to tie and finish the quilt.  Even with all the different types and colors of blocks, these quilts always turn out beautiful.

Right now, we are busy working on a quilt for a dear family that is moving out of state soon.  I like to make the crazy quilt block.  I enjoy making this block because it looks so different every time I make it, and because I have many small pieces of fabric in my sewing basket waiting to be sewn into a  pretty block.  Also, the crazy quilt block is so forgiving if I make a creative flaw.  A pretty button, embroidery, or some beading can cover up a little piece of muslin showing through.

Here is a picture of the block I just finished.  I still need to embroider my name in the lower corner.

The center piece has a vine of forget-me-nots and berries on it, which grow freely in our town.

The Friendship Sampler Quilt is a precious gift to make, as well as receive.

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02:09, February 28, 2008 .. Posted by leighannwhitten

What a beautiful block. Thanks for sharing!
Blessings,
Leigh-Ann

Untitled Comment

02:55, February 28, 2008 .. Posted by gabbie427

What a beautiful block. I hope you will post a picture of the completed quilt for all of us to see as well.

God's Blessings,
Amy Jo

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09:23, February 28, 2008 .. Posted by Belle

It is very pretty! I have never seen one like that. Did you make the pattern yourself?
Belle

Thank you

12:16, February 29, 2008 .. Posted by kim2661

Thank you for the nice comments. Belle, I did not use a pattern to make this block, it is all done very free-form - that's why I like this block so much. I start with sewing my center piece onto a 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 piece of muslin, then I simply sew scraps of pretty fabric around that, sewing pieces out from the center - sew, flip, iron down, sew, flip, iron down.
Blessings, Kim

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06:41, March 17, 2008 .. Posted by anoldfashionedgirl

Wow! What a great job! Now I know who to come to for quilting advice!!!
Jamie