Modify Tradition Sampler Blocks

DSC_0001, originally uploaded by Shadrach Meshach & Abednego.

Yesterday I began to make blocks for the Modify Tradition sampler quiltalong. I am shockingly late to the party, but that seems to be a theme in my life! It's always odd to start a sampler because until you make a good number of the blocks they don't seem to hang together. In fact, here's a secret: I hate samplers.  So the challenge for me in this is less melding traditional and modern, and more actually making a sampler that I fancy a wee bit.  I like my fabric choices, so I'll just have faith they will all come together.  I especially love that big floral in the block above and how it opens up the space.

This star turned out to be much lower contrast than I expected.  If I have extra fabric at the end, I'll make another one with higher contrast between the points of the star.  And I completely ignored the fact that those eggs in the background fabric were actually directional and now look kind of odd.  But this block is nice - with a couple of borders it could be a nice pillow, if it doesn't end up in the sampler.

The main blocks are 12.5 inches square.  Those are big blocks, especially when the block pattern is simple.  I've decided to use two sizes of blocks: 12.5 and 6.5 inches.  I like the look of quilts that have unequal block sizes.  The bow tie is one that I made small.  Here's another possibility of bow tie arrangements, if I decide to keep them all together in one block:

But the benefit to having unequal block sizes is that you can also have rows of unequal sizes.  I like the idea of using the smaller blocks between the larger blocks, like this.  Also, I plan to use simple, unpieced setting blocks in the smaller size to open up the visual space in the quilt and make it less busy - but I'll need to wait to cut those until I get more blocks finished, in order to husband my fabric appropriately.

And somehow, I forgot to snap a photo of the nine-patch blocks alone.  Here's as close as I managed to get.  Setting them out like this shows me what fabrics should get featured in the subsequent blocks.  For example, whatever comes next should pull in that turquoise in the lower nine-patch.

Well, I don't know if these are modern or traditional anymore.  I feel mind-boggled by that whole discussion.  What I do know is that by choosing to use large and small blocks together I think I can make a sampler that I'll like.  At any rate, it's going to be interesting to see it come together.  I think I'm caught up now; bring it on, Jennifer and Crystal!  In the meantime, I'll work on sewing together the blocks for the Values Quilt.