Today I finished my sewing for the February edition of the Penny Sampler pattern club. A new month = a new batch of 3 machine paper piecing patterns. February is right around the corner, friends. Look out for a fresh delivery of patchwork fun.

Stitch, trim, press and repeat. Here comes a quartet of Double Diamonds, one of February’s blocks in this modern sampler quilt.

It’s unlike me to work with neutrals, but I’ve learned to have restraint when sewing a sampler quilt. Best to save the more colorful fabrics for the blocks I really want to feature. Besides, these gray-graphite-stone tones remind me of the city.

Not so with February’s elongated Courthouse Steps block. I indulged in lots of prints, relying on color and symmetry to pull it all together. This one was exciting to sew, with its tidy corners and elegant lines.

Mmm, I love how the seam lines add texture in the solid blue section of the Courthouse Steps block. I could so make a whole quilt of this block! I’ve been thinking about it.

Here is my current collection of Penny Sampler blocks. It’s look quite blue/green/gray. I also plan to add bits of yellow and pink and orange, but I haven’t found the right moment to do so. Perhaps in some of the flowers or in little details like the flower pot diamonds. I imagine just sprinkles of those warm colors so that the overall impression is calm and cool. We shall see.

Are you wishing you joined and wondering if it’s too late? Don’t be shy. You can join now and still choose to purchase the annual membership or subscribe to the monthly plan for just €8.50. If you opt for the monthly plan, I’ll catch you up by sending an extra bill for January (€8.50) and the January club delivery. Then you’ll be all set to move forward with the rest of us, building our collection of delightful machine paper pieced blocks over the course of 2020!

Hop on over to #PennySamplerPatternClub to see all the good things happening. What a promising start to the new year!