The Big Reveal…

Michelle Roberts
Mar 8, 2019
4 min read

Wow, can you believe its been over a year since myself and Dawn begin this mystery quilt along sampler, today I’m going to take you a little journey, so you can see this quilt come to life…

Block One – Cherish; was designed me. After the very sad loss of my Nan (my best friend), I took time to reflect on the love around me, the strength I found from friends and family to keep going. Sometimes we are all guilty of not finding the time to call family or a friend, and this I know, I’m guilty of. So this block was designed for my Nan, to let her know I love her and miss her every single day, and I cherish every memory we shared.

Block 2 – A spring basket; was designed by Dawn, and this is what she said about her block ‘

Seeing the daffodils and primroses peek out from the melting snow means spring is here, so this month’s Sweetest Things Sampler block is an Easter basket, full of springtime wonders

‘The first Easter baskets I remember were little paper and glue ones, made in primary school. When we returned from lessons, they’d been filled with speckled candy eggs. So now whenever I see little Easter baskets, I’m reminded of this and how little acts of kindness, mean a lot’

Block 3 – April Showers bring may flowers; was my turn… my inspiration cane from ‘April showers, bring May flowers.

In this block you will find, free motion embroidery flowers, little silver raindrops and a padding which gives a lovely 3D effect to the umbrella

Block 4 – Nest; is Dawn design, here is where her inspiration came from

‘Inspired by our little feathered friends’ who put so much care and effort into nest building, weaving twigs, moss, and feathers together – it reminds me of the loving care which goes into making our quilts.

With the first few block made, I decided to get busy making the Irish Chain blocks, which would join our sampler blocks together. Using the quilt-as-you-go method, this quilt started to come together quite quickly

Block 5 – Basket of Strawberry sweetness; and I was up… and would could be sweeter then a huge basket of juicy strawberries

This block includes a basket woven from Brenda Riddles’ “Caroline” ticking fabric, juicy looking strawberries, and the sweetest little quilted butterflies.

Block 6 – From our little hive to yours; is dawn design, and nothing gets sweeter the honey

Here is what Dawn said about her inspiration for the block…

‘It’s lovely to hear the little bees humming, busily working together, nurturing the hive – it reminds me of the hum of the sewing machine, and how just like the busy little bees, so much can be achieved when we work together’

Block 7 – Quench your thirst; was my turn…and yes i know its food related again 😉 But it was a beautiful summer in 2018, and I enjoyed many warm evenings in the garden, with a fresh juice or two, while the kids ate ice-creams

Block 8 – Prairie Point Hedgehog; Dawn had created the cutest block of all time, with the very clever idea of using prairie points to create a 3D hedgehog! Hedgehogs are one of my favorites, so this block was so lovely to make

This is what Dawn said…

‘Spending time in the outdoors, among the little wonders of nature is lovely any time of year, but a fine autumn day, when the fruits are ripening, the leaves turning colour and the possums making themselves a cosy spot to overwinter, is especially sweet

Block 9 – Birthday Treats; Inspired by my Birthday (did anyone notice it was food related again?) I say you cant beat a cuppa and slice of cake, I love the little bow I added in this one, and the quilted bunting

Block 10 – Mistletoe and Mittens; and it was turning chilly, Dawn designed the perfect block, here is what Dawn said…

‘In winter, when trees have shed their leaves, there’s something kind of wonderful in the big bunches of mistletoe, hugging the tree branches. Mistletoe is fairly common in this corner of the U.K. It’s rich green leaves and bright little berries, welcome colour this time of year. So let’s put on our warm woolly mittens, and go find some mistletoe…

Block 11 – Deer in the snow; This block was designed by Dawn and here is where her inspiration came from…

‘Even in the middle of winter, you can still find little moments of wonder. It might be the bright winter sunshine, shimmering snow, the shy doe in the woods, or perhaps the little snow globe which shimmers when shaken, that comes out this time each year’

Block 12 – Sew Happy; Was the last block in this sampler, designed by me.

My inspiration came from the one thing that gives me joy everyday… yes it could really only be about one thing, something which makes our lives a whole lot happier

I had to get busy now, cutting and joining the rest of the Irish Chain Blocks, so my quilt could be joined together

Thanks so much to each and every one of you, who has followed us along this journey, whether you have been sewing the whole quilt, or just chosen a block or two, or simple just left beautiful comments along the way – we thank you. If you have been sewing along, be sure to tag us @creativeblonde66 and @dawn_honeybeecloths using the hashtag #sweetestthingssampler and you will automatically be entered in to win this fantastic giveaway