Let’s Make a Classic Sampler Quilt ~ A Quilt Along

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I thought I would do something fun… and a little crazy from now until the end of the year!

I’ve been wanting to host a Block of the Month for beginners for quite a while now. My idea was to make a sampler quilt, starting with very easy quilt blocks and progressing to harder ones.

The idea of starting simple and building on the skills learned appealed to me. And it is something I can send my beginner students to for reference. Doing this by making a quilt sampler seemed to be the perfect way to teach the classic blocks used in many of the traditional quilts out there.

Recently I decided it was time to put that plan into action…. and then I thought – well, since the blocks are simple ones, we (I) might get bored waiting a whole month till the next block comes out…

So, I have decided to start this month and put out a new block every two weeks… and we could have a lovely quilt done by Christmas!

Let me tell you more….

How will the Classic Sampler Quilt Along Work?

This QAL will run a little differently than my other block of the month programs.

How Many Blocks Will there be?

There will be 12 quilt blocks in this sampler quilt, so the quilt will end up as a rectangle instead of a square quilt like I usually make! A change is as good as a holiday!

What Size Will the Blocks be?00

These will not be small blocks but will be 12 1/2″ unfinished and 12″ finished in the quilt.

When Will The Blocks Be Posted?

I will be posting new blocks every two weeks on a Monday, starting on the 6th of July 2026.

How Long Will the QAL Last?

We will finish the top by the second week of December.

How Large Will the Quilt be?

The quilt top will be 56″ x 70″. However, if you prefer a smaller quilt, you could turn these blocks into two quilts… just a thought!

Will the QAL be Free?

Yes, each block will be a free pattern! I will, however, be offering digital patterns in the form of printable PDFs for sale in our shop for those who are interested. There will be no paper patterns available.

Who is This QAL Suitable for?

This series is a beginning quilting series, designed as the perfect project for first-time quilters to make a vintage sampler quilt for themselves.. However, just because this is meant for a beginning quilter, it doesn’t mean quilters of all skill levels can’t join in!

What is Needed to Make this Quilt?

You will need general sewing and quilting supplies such as:

• cutting mat
• rotary cutter
• quick unpick
• pins
• any of your other favorite sewing and quilting tools
• sewing machine in good working order
• fabric
• batting and backing to finish the quilt

Where Will this QAL be Hosted?

I will be hosting this QAL here on my blog and also on my YouTube channel.

Each free quilt block pattern will be offered as a tutorial-style blog post and video.

I will be making two quilts… one with regular fabric here on the blog, and one with Christmas fabric on YouTube… that way I will have two samplers made by the end of the year!

Fabric Requirements

I will be using my stash of Lori Holt fabrics that I have purchased over time from the Fat Quarter Shop. This will be a scrappy quilt, so I’d encourage you to use your own fabric – use what you have!

If you are a complete beginner, you might want to purchase a bundle of Fat Quarters so that you can make the quilt scrappy, but still have the fabrics work together nicely.

So for the quilt top, you will need:

• a range of scrappy fabric
• 2 yards of background fabric
• 3/4 yard of fabric for the inner border, and
• 1 1/4 yard of fabric for the outer border

In Summary

I hope you will join me in this fun block of the fortnight (BOF?!).

We will be starting next Monday, and I will be sharing each new block every two weeks.

We will start with easy blocks and work our way up to harder ones by the end of the QAL – but not too hard!

This will be very similar to a classic bom quilt, except we will be making it in 6 months instead of a year.

Now this is my quilting plan at the moment, and I will do my very best to stick to it. As you know, I am also caring for my elderly parents, so there may be some alterations to the plan, but I hope not…. I am working ahead as much as I can to avoid any surprises.

Hosting sewalongs and quiltalongs are some of my favorite things, so I am looking forward to the next six months! If you do join in, I hope you will send me photos along the way as we make some amazing quilts together!

Any Questions?

As usual, I have probably forgotten to include some important information! If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments below, and I will answer them there for all to see… and update the blog post if needed… thanks!