Sylvia's Bridal Sampler - Post 2

And... here she is, in all of her wonderful glory!  Yes, I did have a celebratory glass of bubbles last night with Hubby to mark the completion of all 140 blocks, the paper-cut applique centre blocks and finishing the quilt top for my version of Sylvia's Bridal Sampler.

Whole quilt top.  Indoor photo on a rainy day!

I have to admit, I am a little awe-struck that I managed to make all of those blocks.  Some of the blocks were easy, some were very challenging, however I did enjoy the technical challenges, going back to basics, taking time and not rushing.

I am surprised by how much she weighs!  All those seams and little pieces add up to a lot of quilty patchwork goodness.

She still needs her final pressing as does her backing.  Her binding is made and coiled.  Her wadding is waiting.  It's now time to pick out the quilting thread and plan the quilting.  I'll let those quilt plan thoughts percolate over the next week or so.  Right now, I'm celebrating and enjoying her as a whole.

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler - post 1

I had very high hopes of making lots of blog posts this year and then was cursed with 'writer's block'.  I became super organised with my photos along with a schedule for posting and then each time I sat down to complete a post, I went blank.  I am hoping that I am over that now, because today I am so excited with what I am sharing! 😍

Yesterday, I completed a mammoth task - I finished the very last block for my version of Sylvia's Bridal Sampler from the book by Jennifer Chiaverini.  140 x 6in blocks total. 

There's a LOT of work in that block stack!!

Such a huge pile of blocks when stacked together!

And.... below is a photo of them all laid out.  There was no rhyme or reason to my layout, I simply plonked them down on the floor in the order that I took them off the stack.

The whole quilt so far

 I am adding in a 'papercut' block to the centre so that I can have a 12x12 block layout instead of 10x14.   As you can see, I still need to complete the hand-applique of the centre block.  This will stay on the floor overnight and I'll do some tweaking to the layout to balance it a bit better.

I started this quilt in Feb 2023 when a local quilt group - Kilmore Quilters - started this as a sew-a-long.  I kept up all through 2023 and then in 2024 I returned to tertiary study.  Sylvia was then boxed up and shelved until January this year when an option came to have the quilt ready for a group display in September.  Just the impetus I needed to pull it out and get cracking.  

It has taken me 4 full months in between working, family and social commitments to get the blocks completed, attempting a little bit each day and then some days no sewing at all.  Almost every block has been an absolute joy to work with some that had me inventing new swear words!!  

I have the sashings, cornerstones, borders, binding and backing all prepared, ready to pick up and sew.

But first - I must vacuum the floor before moving onto the next step of sewing the top together - it's full of threads and dog-ear corner snippets 😉