Last week I received a lovely surprise in my mailbox. The kind folks at It’s Sew Emma/Fat Quarter Shop sent me a copy of Carrie Nelson’s new book, “Summer Moon,” which features a beautiful and unique sampler quilt. After spending some time looking at all of the pretty photos in the book, I zipped on over to my sewing room and made up one of the blocks, the Maple Star!
The sampler quilt is comprised of 24 blocks that are each made in three different sizes: 5”, 6 1/2” and 8” unfinished. The book includes setting instructions (frames) for the small and medium blocks so that when the quilt is laid out for final assembly, all blocks are the same size. It’s a unique concept that makes for a very whimsical finished quilt.
“Summer Moon” is set up in a block of the month format that takes 10 months to complete. Fat Quarter Shop will be hosting a BOM sew along which begins in May. Make sure you are following their blog, the Jolly Jabber, for details!
To get my feet wet, I whipped together a 6 1/2” Maple Star block featuring prints from the Nest collection by Lella Boutique for Moda. I just love that line! I’ve also mixed in some Corey Yoder favorites from her new Strawberry Jam collection, as well as the fabulous text print (bottom of stack) from Lella Boutique’s upcoming Lollipop Garden collection.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to make all of the blocks required each month, but I’m setting a goal to make at least the assigned medium blocks each month. That’s the beauty of a sampler/BOM program: the book provides you with the structure, but you can go at your own pace and customize the quilt to your liking. You are the boss, remember!
I’ve sewn many Carrie Nelson patterns over the years. I’m a particular fan of her “Schnibbles” books. And now we have \”Summer Moon,\” a collaboration between Carrie and the talented publishing team at It’s Sew Emma. Yes, that is a stellar combination!
At the end of this post I’ve included the block schedule and fabric requirements from the book. This should help give you a jump start in planning and ordering, or you could throw caution to the wind and play from your stash, like me!
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog, quilting friends. “Summer Moon” is available now at Fat Quarter Shop. It truly is a beautiful book you’ll be happy to add to your quilting library.
~Taunja
