As we posted last Tuesday, I highly recommend that you start a library to document your design work. As you create your samples, make them the same size so that your (master) pieces can be easily stored. And even if you don’t want to keep the samples for posterity, you can work towards making a Sampler Throw like the one shown above. As we develop our many fabrics, it often happens that a particular sample, as beautiful as it may be, just doesn’t fit neatly into one of our Fabric Swatch Books or collections. That was the case with the swatches that became the basis for this Sampler Throw. You may even find that you want to make the Sampler Throw not as a way of developing different fabric swatches, but just because it’s a beautiful and easy project. Either way, I urge you to explore our stencils, colors, techniques, and stitches to sustain rewarding design experiences.

To make a Sampler Throw, lay out twenty-five 10” x 16” blocks of 100% organic cotton jersey, as shown in the illustration at below, and sew them together using a straight stitch and a 1/4″ seam allowance, with your seams on the outside of the throw and leaving all of your edges raw (outside floating).

To make construction easier, we first pin and sew together the five blocks in each row and then pin and sew together the individual rows as shown in the illustration below.

Sometimes after completing the construction of a throw, we’ll overdye the finished piece for stunning results. You’ll find that the overdyeing unifies all the blocks by giving them all a similar tone. This project makes a great gift or family heirloom. Let your family members and children take part for a special heirloom piece. You may also use a permanent marker, embroidery floss, and a stem stitch to embroider your name or record a story in the style of our Textile Stories quilts on from pages 160-161 of Alabama Studio Style.