Modern Plus Sampler ++ Quilt Top Assembly

We made it!  Here are the quilt top assembly instructions for the Modern Plus Sampler!  

Now that the quilt top instructions are posted, you will have almost two months to complete your quilt tops and/or quilts.  The reveal parade will be on Thursday, April 4th.

IMPORTANT DATES
March 28th - Submissions to the quilt parade due (quilt tops or completed quilts)
April 4th - Sampler Quilt reveal parade 

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR QUILT & BE ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES
E-mail a picture of the quilt top or finished quilt by Thursday March 28th.
Address e-mail to MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com
Name your photo with your name as the file name, if possible, such as "Cheryl Brickey.jpg".
(optional) Include in your e-mail your location (city, state and/or country) and/or a web address for any related blog posts you would like linked to.

Prizes will be randomly awarded to those that participate in the parade.

Here are the instructions in an easy to print pdf format:

Modern Plus Sampler - Quilt Top Assembly

 Additionally, the directions and all of the other information related to the sampler quilt along can always be found on the Modern Plus Sampler Page.

Please share your pics on social media with the hashtag #ModernPlusSamplerQuilt and tag me at @MeadowMistDesigns.

Quilt Top Assembly

You can cut the fabric A rectangles for the first through third sections from 1 strip 5" x WOF and 1 strip 7" x WOF.


FIRST SECTION
Sew together the following blocks and pieces to make a first section 18 ½" x 63".

     2 rick rack blocks
     1 first partial tribal row
     1 second partial tribal row
     1 kaleidoscope block
     17 small plus blocks

     2 fabric A rectangles 5" x 7"

SECOND SECTION
Sew together the following blocks and pieces to make a second section 14" x 63".

     1 transparency plus block
     1 petal block
     1 faceted rings block
     6 small plus blocks

     2 fabric A rectangles 7" x 14"

THIRD SECTION
Sew together the following blocks and pieces to make a third section 18 ½" x 63".

     2 rick rack blocks
     1 button block
     1 first partial tribal row
     1 second partial tribal row
     17 small plus blocks

     2 fabric A rectangles 5" x 7"

BORDERS
1. Cut and sew together 2 fabric A strips 4 ½" x WOF end-to-end and trim to the width of the quilt top (approximately 63"). Repeat to make a total of 2 border pieces. 


ASSEMBLE THE QUILT TOP
Sew the sections together to make the plus sign sampler quilt top, 63" x 78". 

Finishing

1.  Make backing:  Remove selvages from backing fabric (4 ⅞ yards), cut into 2 pieces (approx. 87" x WOF) and sew backing pieces together along the trimmed selvage edges using a ½” seam, pressing the seam open.  Trim backing to approx. 72" x 87".

2.  Layer the quilt top, batting, and backing.  Baste and quilt as desired.

3.  Cut the binding fabric (¾ yard) into 8 strips 2 ½” x WOF.  Trim off selvages and sew together end-to-end to make the binding.  Bind and enjoy your quilt!

Many thanks to the generous sponsors of the Modern Plus Sampler!

Honey, Bunny, and Doll | Sew Fresh Quilts | Make Modern | Aurifil

Cooking Up Quilts | Quilting Jetgirl | Quilter's Planner

Needle & Foot | Fat Quarter Shop | BackSide Fabrics | Whims and Fancies

Meadow Mist Designs | Tish's Adventures in Wonderland | Busy Hands Quilts | C&T Publishing

OLFA Creator 2019

I am very excited to let you know that I am a OLFA Creator for 2019.  I join 11 other designers this year to share some great tutorials and OLFA products.

OLFA sent me some wonderful new rulers, cutters, and more that you will be seeing soon in some new tutorials and works in progress.

You can follow along and find each month's tutorial over on the OLFA blog and here are the OLFA Creators and Ambassadors for 2019.

Check Plus ++ Baby Version

I am revisiting an old pattern of mine today, Check Plus, one of my first plus sign quilts and my first quilt/pattern in a magazine.  I originally made Check Plus in some Bonnie and Camille fabrics all of the way back in 2014 for Quilty Magazine.

I remade the quilt in a baby size for my new nephew.  For this version of the quilt, I used various blue and green fat quarters from my stash paired with a gray print background by Angela Walters (this print was actually the remnants from a wide backing fabric from my Flutter quilt).  I backed the quilt with a teal shot cotton which is not only a beautiful color, but also super soft.

I decided to quilt the quilt the same as my first version, with a variation on a cross-hatch using the piecing as a guide (no marking makes me happy).

The quilt is Reeses approved :)  (Don't worry, my nephew is not allergic to cats and I washed the quilt before mailing.)

You can see some additional versions of Check Plus over on Instagram #CheckPlusQuilt and grab a copy over on Etsy: digital, paper.

Here was the original version which now lives with my parents...

Splendid Sampler - Star Plus

Hi and welcome to my day in the Splendid Sampler 2 quilt along! I was so excited to be asked to be part of the Splendid Sampler 2 book by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson.

STAR PLUS BLOCK

My block, on page 117 of the Splendid Sampler 2, is called Star Plus which combines one of my favorite quilting designs, the plus sign, within a star.

Star Plus, like all of the blocks in the sampler, measures 6 ½" x 6 ½" (6" x 6" in the quilt). It is fun to make such cute and little blocks. My block incorporates both traditional and paper pieced techniques and I used EQ8 to design the block.

I had fun remaking the block in some of my new Maureen Cracknell fabrics to make a mini quilt, a perfect mug rug size :)

ADDITIONAL COLORWAYS

One of my favorite things to do with a quilt block is to play with it to create different quilt top layouts and colorways.  Here are a few of my favorite layouts:

ABOUT ME

For those that are visiting my blog for the first time, a little about me: I am a chemical engineer who now writes technical textile patents by day and quilts by night after the kids are in bed. 

If you have a minute, you can use the tabs above to visit some popular features of my blog including my yearly mystery quilts (the next on starts in July), my first book Modern Plus Sign Quilts, my patterns, and my series on Pattern Writing 101.  

In addition to the blog, you can find me on Instagram @MeadowMistDesigns and on Facebook.

GIVEAWAY
Update: Giveaway now closed, congrats Rhonda!

How about a GIVEAWAY to celebrate the Splendid Sampler?

I am giving away an 8-piece fat quarter bundle of some of my favorite FreeSpirit solids to one winner :)

To Enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post, any comment. If you would like a topic/question to answer, I would love to know what inspires you to quilt.

2. My blog followers (old and new) get a bonus entry. Leave a second comment with how you follow the blog. (Here are some links for following... Bloglovin, Email)

The giveaway will run for 4 days, until 8 pm EST on Sunday, January 20th and the giveaway is open to everyone around the world.

I try to respond to each and every comment I get on my blog, but with giveaway posts the numbers are usually too great to do this. PS - If you are a no-reply blogger, please leave your e-mail address so I have a way of contacting you if you win.

Remember, you can pick up a copy of Splendid Sampler 2 (affiliate link) and visit www.thesplendidsampler.com to join in on the fun! 

Don't forget to check out the other 3 blocks from the Splendid Sampler 2 posting today:

Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill of Whole Circle Studio

Shannon Gillman Orr

Pat Sloan

Modern Plus Sampler Quilt ++ My Paper Pieced Areas

January's instructions for the Modern Plus Sampler were the Paper Pieced Areas, based on the Kaleidoscope Plus and Faceted Rings quilts, two of my favorites from the Modern Plus Sign Quilts book. 

I do love sewing paper pieced blocks and creating designs with such interesting angles compared to what is possible with traditional piecing.

There have been some wonderful blocks posted on the Facebook Group and on Instagram (#ModernPlusSamplerQuilt).  If you have a chance, please check them out :)

You can find the Paper Pieced Area instructions for January here and find out all about the quilt along here.

Image by Amy Garro of Quilt Photography Co.

Also, I also wanted to highlight a project that Carole from My Carolina Home has been organizing, the Carolina Hurricane Quilt Project. The project is to collect new and nearly new bed size quilts for the victims of Hurricane Florence and Michael on the North Carolina coast.

The project will go through the summer and completed quilts are needed as well as help making quilt tops and quilting the quilts. More information and updates can be found on Carole’s Blog and the Carolina Hurricane Quilt Project post.