I don't do Milk & Cookies!

Splendid Sampler 2 - Milk & Cookies by Rebecca Bryan 

renamed Tea & Biscuits by me.

This week's block for The Splendid Sampler 2 is called Milk & Cookies.  I don't drink milk and I call cookies 'biscuits' because I'm English.  I am rather partial to 'tea and biscuits', though. The large, plain appliqued circle in the middle was just crying out to me to be customised in some way so I've stitched a little teapot.  I think I will rename my block 'Tea and Biscuits." In SS1 I did all the applique bits by machine but I've done this one by hand and found it very satisfying.

It took me forever to decide on my fabric combination so I haven't included that in my statistics. I am a rather slow stitcher, though.

Time to make: 6 hours  No of pieces:  21

Change of Plan

I was putting my new block away with the ones I'd made previously and came across a drawer full of multi-coloured scraps that I've been saving.  Wow, have I saved a lot. I then remembered what I was collecting and saving them for. I thought that when I had enough variety and colours I would use them to make a sampler quilt when a QAL came along that I like the look of. Well, Splendid Sampler 2 has come along and I know I thought I would just carry on making them in French General and mix them in with the already made blocks from SS1.  I've got 48 blocks made so far.  I never intended to make all 100 blocks as I don't want a huge quilt, so I'll carry on and make a few more in FG from the SS1 book and start anew on SS2 in my scrappy, happy colours.  So here's the first one again.

Splendid Sampler 2 - Quilt Market by Alex Veronelli

 I liked doing the embroidered blocks in SS1 so I'm hoping there will be some more in SS2.  I'm thinking I will try to incorporate a bit of stitchery in more of these blocks, if the design allows for it. I didn't want to overload on this one so just added  a few straight lines.

 Time to make: 1 1/4 hours  No. of pieces: 21

Splendid Sampler 2 - and we're off

Wow, it's nearly two years since my last post.  Time flies so fast, doesn't it.  I haven't done any patchwork in all that time, but I have been doing lots of crochet, knitting and cross stitch.  I needed something portable as I was spending more and more time looking after my aged father, so the patchwork got put aside. Dad died a year ago this month but I got caught up in so many other things that sitting down at my sewing machine hasn't been high on my agenda.  However, now that Pat Sloan has started The Splendid Sampler 2 Sew-a-Long I was itching to make a start on something new,  I love sewing along with all the other people and get so much inspiration fom seeing all of the different takes on the block.  I'll  just add these blocks to the ones already made from the first Splendid Sampler.

It did feel good to get my stash of French General out again and go through it to find some scraps for this first block.  I can't wait for the next block to come out.

Quilt Market by Alex Veronelli