A Quilt Finish: Red Sampler

I told you last week that I had some extra time off due to being exposed to Covid.  Well, I tried to make the best use of my time.  I was on a finishing frenzy.

Here is my Red Sampler Quilt Along Finish.


I am not a sampler quilt maker so I surprised myself when I jumped on the bandwagon to make this.


Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet fame is the host of the quilt along.  You can find all of the information about it on her blog.  You’ll have to scroll back to some of the older posts.

Each week we make three or so blocks…sometimes 12″ blocks and sometimes 6″ blocks.

I think what sucked me is was… that red was the color she was using and my red basket was pretty full.


Another thing that caught me.  We were using her books to make the blocks.  I had bought the books but I had never used them.  I’ve had them since they first came out…but until then, I had never used them.

These are the books that we used:

Farm Girl Vintage One.  Find it HERE.

Farm Girl Vintage Two.  Find it HERE.

Vintage Christmas.  Find it HERE.

Great Granny Squared.  Find it HERE.

I think you could easily not purchase the Great Granny Squared book as we only made two blocks using it.  I already had all of the other books so I ended up buying this one as I didn’t know how much we’d use it.

Lori suggests making a label using her Spelling Bee book (Find that HERE) but I opted to skip that.

SPELLING BEE Number Alphabet & Picture Quilt Blocks image 0

I guess you could say I’m on a Lori Holt kick.  The last four quilts I’ve finished have all been hers!!


I used a cream thread on top and back.  I used my Hook and Feather for the motif.

Check out the backing.  I love it.  It’s a toile fabric.


I bought it at a vintage sale.  I think it was originally curtains.  I paid $7 for all of it.  There was plenty for a backing.

Best yet…can you see where I spliced the two pieces together.  If you look you can see it but it isn’t blazingly noticeable.


It is right in the center of the photo above.  I thought it was a perfect backing.

Others did theirs with all the same background prints.  Some didn’t put a sashing around their blocks.  There are MANY different finishes.  If you use Instagram you can check out the hashtag #redsamplerquiltalong.

I did mine in reproduction fabrics.

If I could go back and change something, I would not use that lighter fabric around the basket blocks.  It’s okay and there is another block bordered with the same fabric but it was the one thing I would change.


All in all, I’m really happy with the quilt and so glad I finally used my Lori Holt books.  I have to say it’s a HUGE contrast sewing things from Bonnie where Bonnie uses every little scrap and Lori Holt who bases her construction on ease of the quilter and isn’t as fabric waste-conscious.  Many of the blocks from Lori’s book I constructed using my easy angle ruler and cut the fabric waste.


I had plenty of border fabric so I opted to bind with the same fabric.


When I showed the blocks as I was sewing them, several blog readers thought I had used brown in the quilt.  I hadn’t.   There are some dark reds but not browns.

I didn’t lay it out before I sewed the blocks together.  I just sewed them in strips and then sewed the strips together hoping it might turn out…I think it turned out great.


So this one is being added to the stacks…I’m so glad I:
-stepped out of my box and sewed something by a designer I hadn’t sewn anything by before.
-made a sampler quilt which I’ve not done in ages.
-used the books that I purchased long ago.
-finished this right away.

All in all, this quilt is a WIN!!

39 thoughts on “A Quilt Finish: Red Sampler”

    1. I love it. So far I’m just collecting the fabric to make the sampler. Hopefully, I will be able to start mine soon. I love yours!

  1. I love it , it turned out great . I’m working on the same project , but I’m way behind . Hopefully I’ll get caught up now with the birthday quilts I’ve been working on done .

  2. Jo, it’s beautiful. We all know you are a “Red Girl” so this was enjoyable for you, I’m sure.
    Our church quilters use your “Meet in the Middle” pattern for charity quilts frequently but we change it up a bit and cut scraps wider than 2.5”.

  3. Oh what a beautiful quilt! I love it and I can see why the red pulled you in. The variety of sashing and the use of scraps to add to the interest are perfect! Congratulations on a great finish!

  4. Gorgeous!!!
    I just finished piecing a couple of tractors from one of Lori’s Holt’s books; up next is a barn. I like her instructions. Your red and white quilt is inspiring me to try some more of her blocks!

  5. This is beautiful! I, too, love Lori Holt’s fabrics and patterns and have several of her books. How fun to skip around through her books for different blocks.

  6. Stunning! It turned out so beautiful. I’ve been slowly piecing some of the blocks from Lori Holt’s Farm Girl Vintage and Farm Girl Vintage 2 books, and they’re so fun to make. I think her step by step instructions make seemingly very complicated blocks doable.

  7. It finished up beautifully!!! I was tempted to join the quilt along and even wrote down the blocks & books for the first few blocks, but I never decided what color to use. I still really want to make it tho, after seeing yours! Beautiful job! Hugs,

  8. Judith Fairchild

    One fabulous quilt I love the way you used so many reds and how they all are so nicely in the over all quilt. I had so.e of the same print backing in teal or green I think
    I used it for a backing for my younger sister’s quilt. I liked it she loved it.

  9. What I love is your petunias next to the quilt. By this time in the summer mine looked ragged. Yours look gorgeous as does the quilt.

    1. I do fertilize quite regularly starting at July 4th or so and do it every other week or so. I think it helps Carolyn.

  10. Pingback: What I’m Working On… | Jo's Country Junction

  11. Wow! Just a gorgeous red treasure. Your family is so lucky to have your artistry to enjoy. I’d like to try this in blues. Hmmm.

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