2023 Sew Sampler Challenge Update-- First Quarter

       I haven't posted much on the 2023 Sew Sampler Challenge-- there hasn't been much engagement with the group on social media. Throw me a comment or join in! I am still committed to fully finishing all twelve this year, plus as many of the special boxes as I can fit in. 

     I am about to close out Jan-March, plus the Cupid box, and I'm on the cusp of having some really nice gifts stashed away for birthdays or Christmas. Everything is coming along well. Here's where they all stand!

     January is completely finished and has been comfortably situated on my dining room buffet table for a couple of months. The vintage, darker vibe really looks great on my old mahogany piece-- it kind of looks like it's always been there! I think it's a going to be keeper.

     February-- I stitched this one up super fast, using just the provided fabric. Then it sat, and sat... and sat!

    When the March Box arrived, I immediately began quilting it on my domestic-- just intending to do 1/2" apart straight lines. Then I started changing the direction of the lines with the shapes-- plus, who knew how hard it is to sew straight, evenly spaced lines! I ended up drawing every single line on there with a blue washable marker.

My posture when working on this is a complete horror show-- hunched shoulders, twisted neck, so I can only do about an hour at a time. Then I decided to do some flowers in the large squares, again drawing them--

It really hasn't gone that well, but I am persevering. Honestly, I see this on my picnic table this summer most probably with a ketchup spill on it, (another keeper-- hee, hee) so I am taking the lessons learned and moving on. Until my longarm is set us, it's either the most simple straight line quilting, or a longarmer for these boxes-- otherwise, I'll never keep up.

I'm 8 hours into this-- I have one "flower" to go, then I'm binding and storing until the picnic table comes out. Honestly, anyone who doesn't know any better would think it was fine.

Now here's my favorite piece of the quarter-- my Cupid Box is almost a flimsy. A total win, since I don't think I've ever finished any Fat Quarter Shop specialty box! 

   This is not the pattern provided at all-- I came up with my own jelly roll  pattern with smaller hearts using graph paper. After February's free-motion debacle, I'm feeling like a genius again. Would you buy a pattern for this? I'd love to write one. It was super easy-- just a bit of partial seam construction.

     I cute the tips off all the edge squares last night-- a terrifying moment to be sure-- it went well. Whatever people think of quilting as a sedentary activity is wrong-- it is a SPORT, with lots of drama and action-- the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!

     All I have to do is add a 6" blue border and off to a longarmer it goes-- this one is definitely worth spending the money for-- I'm gifting it to my sons fiancé for her birthday in May.

     Finally, the March box. I decided I was tired of jelly roll weaving and decided to chop up the strips into pieces for the Fat Quarter Shop's free "Brick House" pattern. It's not written for jelly rolls, but the 2-1/2" width works perfectly with the middle size pattern. Here's my neighborhood so far:

    The fabric line is not something I would have purchased-- that's what I like about Sew Sampler boxes-- and it is perfect for this. I calculated I could make nine houses out of the strips, and it seems like the math is good, so far. 

     Mr. SFO is an architect, and I made a few architectural changes you can read about in the preceding blog post. If there is any interest, please comment, I will share the measurements I used to make the larger roof pieces from 2-1/2" strips and how to center the chimney in my next post. This piece is also going to a longarmer and will be gifted. Houses are a theme I think everyone loves, don't you?

     I'm really happy with where I am on the 2023 Sew Sampler Challenge-- I'd love to hear from you on Facebook, Instagram or here-- if not, you can count on me to keep soldiering along on my own! Just stay tuned and watch the train wreck over the summer-- it is sure to come. Ha ha!

xoxo

Carol