12 Weeks, 12 Rows, my New Sampler Project

I shared this photo of my test block for my latest quilt idea with a few of the commenters on my Saturday post with the brown tamale sacks.

(If I didn't send you a link to the photo, you may be a no-reply blogger)

I've had this idea to combine some Allison Glass Handcrafted fat quarters that I couldn't resist when they were offered on Massdrop with the tamale sacks to make a sampler quilt from this year's Block Lotto patterns with a folk art feeling.

I questioned my decision after a friend made a pair of beautiful quilts from the same Allison Glass fabrics and expressed the opinion that they only work with one another and no other fabrics.  So, before I did anything else, I first made this test block, using my Tulip Quilt Block pattern.


Your mileage may differ, but I kind of fell in love with it.

The background for this one came from the chicken tamale sacks which are printed with a bright yellow ink. These are the larger sized (one dozen tamales) variety. 

I was so happy with the result, I quickly made the rest of the blocks I needed for sampler row quilt I am making.

I will be blogging weekly updates over on Blocklotto.com with lots more detail, my thoughts on the project, and the design decisions I make along the way,  beginning with this post: 

12 + 12 = 1 Sampler Quilt

Of course, I'll be sharing my progress as it appears on my design wall, here, as well.  Be prepared to see lots of tamale sack blocks on my design wall. 

My plan is to complete one row each week for the next 12 weeks.  Sounds easy, right?  Do you have any projects you wanted to finish by the end of the year?  What could you accomplish in 12 weeks?

What's next?

I do need to start QUILTING things ... but in the meantime, I have started a new project:

I acquired some of these (in a couple flavors/colors) when I lived in Texas–Thank you, Texas Tamale Company. I wondered if they could be used as quilting fabric ... I am about to find out.

While not exactly scraps, they are close enough and printed in the appropriate color–shades of chocolate– to share with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge list today.

Last week's adventure

Last week when driving home from an interview in an unfamiliar part of town, I passed by a Goodwill Outlet.  I had to stop and check it out. Here's a peek inside.

 

I had a little time and was up for an adventure, so I decided to poke around for a few minutes and look for woven plaid cotton that I could use in a quilt, inspired by Lynn Dykstra and  Bonnie Hunter.  And, the price was right.

 

I  quickly found and purchased 6 pounds of mostly cotton:

• 5 cotton shirts
• 2 pairs of cotton pajama pants (new, from the Gap, with pricetags)
• some cotton shorts that I couldn't resist because I liked the plaid
• a silk plaid top for my CQ stash
• a linen plaid shirt

After a trip through the wash, I clipped off the buttons for the button jar and cut the cotton garments into flat pieces, ready to cut and use for quilting. Next time, I'll plan ahead, spend more time and be selective, but this was an adventure and a start on a stash of re-useable fabric: