The Splendid Sampler Gallery - Short Version

This week there is only one Splendid Sampler block to show. Life gets busy, but I think that my friends will likely have blocks to share next week.

I pretty much knocked myself out with the last Kitty Craft applique block this week, so I didn't get around to Splendid Sampler until today. Block 17 was the scarier of the two blocks waiting to be sewn, so I tackled it first. It's a sweet block called "Family Ties", and the stars are meant to symbolize family members.

I really considered fabrics for a long time. We have a very tight little family, and I wanted to show that. The middle star represents my husband and me. I think of us as a unit bound by love and loyalty. The red center of that star represents love and the blue is for loyalty. The other four blocks are for our son, our daughter, my granddaughter, and our grandson. We are tied together by love, and that's why red diamonds connect us all.

Choosing fabrics is one thing, but sewing is another story altogether. Trouble is, those triangles are itty-bitty and downright intimidating for someone who can often struggle to sew a block with tiny squares. The half square triangles are only 3/4" square!

I know my weaknesses, so don't tell anyone, but I cheated. I paper pieced every single unit containing triangles. It took five hours to finish, but those triangles are downright perfect! 

Tomorrow a new block comes out and I'll be two blocks behind! How do people with small children and full time jobs ever manage to get any quilting done? I'm in awe.

Happy Weekend!