Making a Sampler Quilt – Folk Sampler Sew Along

I have always wanted to learn how to make different quilt blocks and the #folksamplersewalong, hosted by Farm and Folk, came at the perfect time because I had just pulled out and organized all my scrap fabric. All of these 12 inch sampler quilt blocks turned into a sampler quilt and became a fun display of all the fabrics I’ve used over the years. I really enjoyed making these blocks every week and turning them into an heirloom quilt!

The folk sampler quilt sew along started April 30 and every week since then, a new quilt block was shared along with a tutorial showing how to make it. There was no specific pattern and it’s completely up to you which quilt blocks you want to make and use in your sampler quilt! Head over to the Farm and Folk sampler quilt welcome post for more details and to see the original antique quilt that inspired this sew along.

All of my quilt blocks were been made using my cotton and linen scrap fabric hoard and it felt so good to give them new purpose.

After making the first few blocks, I went back and remade some to have the same natural background, and added a few others that I found on the Farm and Folk blog. Throughout the first 12 weeks, I made doubles of some favorite blocks just for fun and to have some options at the end.

I’m sharing each quilt block I’ve made below and all of the tutorials to make these blocks can be found on the Farm and Folk blog. I do have a Half Square Triangle Tutorial which are used in quite a few blocks, and my post How to Make a Quilt will help out when it comes time to assemble the finished blocks into a quilt.

I finished my sampler quilt in January 2026 and you can see more photos, taken in a rare snowy Texas scene, at the end of this post.

I’ve included a Table of Contents in case you want to skip around to certain blocks or steps.

Quilt Blocks

I’ve listed out every quilt block I used in my sampler quilt in case there’s any you like and would want to try! All of the tutorials for the following quilt blocks can be found on Farm and Folk’s blog.

Woodland Path Quilt Block

This was such a fun block to start off week 1 of the folk sampler sew along! I learned a new block, Diamond in a Square, and this was my first time making Flying Geese. Since this quilt block uses all those different blocks, the prep work takes a bit more time, but worth it once you sew it all together.

Sawtooth Star Quilt Block

I had always wanted to make a Sawtooth Star block so I was really excited when this was the second block in the sewalong. I made two, starting with a more colorful one (below right photo) and then made another in earthy colors on a neutral background. A really fun block made from just squares and Flying Geese, and the end result looks more complicated than it really is.

Crow’s Foot Quilt Block

One of my favorite blocks – so I made two! 🙂 This block is also called Large Star according to Barbara Brackman in her book Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, which Sara of Farm and Folk references all throughout the sewalong. Made only from Half Square Triangles and squares, and more time consuming than difficult, but the end result is so pretty.

Sun Ray’s Delight Quilt Block

Sara coined this block Sun Ray’s Delight after using the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt patterns to identify this as a hybrid of two other blocks. This block uses a template for the Triangle in a Square, which Sara walks you through how to make on her blog, and a Diamond in a Square block. I found this one a little more challenging to get “perfect” and to keep my points from getting cut off. My second one (below right photo) ended up neater and using mainly cotton helped with that.

Corn and Beans Quilt Block

This block is so fun and I love the name! There’s so much room for variation in this block and the way you place the colors can really change up the feel. It’s only made of Half Square Triangles and a few squares so it’s pretty simple, but more time consuming because of how many blocks it’s made up of.

Double T Quilt Block

The Double T quilt block is similar in ways to the Woodland Path block (the first one) but a lot simpler! Made of just Flying Geese and squares but with lots of room to customize by just switching up the fabric colors.

Garden Walk Quilt Block

This was another block that used the Triangle in a Square template from the Farm and Folk tutorial, and it’s basically the Sun Ray’s Delight quilt block but with added 4 patch blocks. I enjoyed this one and kept it simple with just two colors – my triangle points turned out better too!

Snow Ball Quilt Block

I had never made Snow Ball blocks before, so this one was really fun to put together. The antique quilt that inspired Sara from Farm and Folk features this block and it helps to break up the more geometric designs in the other quilt blocks. I kept this one simple with just two colors, but it would be fun to make each “snow ball” (or polka dot) a different fabric!

Bear’s Paw Quilt Block

Another one of my favorites! The Bear’s Paw quilt block is similar to the Crow’s Foot block but with added rectangle strips and a small square in the middle. You could play around with making those strips out of different fabric, but I liked how the “paws” look like they’re floating when using the same color as the background.

Star In The Window Quilt Block

The Star in the Window quilt block is so cute! It does have a lot of differene elements to it – Half Square Triangles, Flying Geese, rectangles and squares – but it’s easier than it looks. It starts out with a small Sawtooth Star in the middle and then the “window” surrounds it. I made a second one but simplified the design by just using solid rectangles and squares as a border (below right photo).

Chain and Bar Quilt Block

The Chain and Bar quilt block is similar to the first Woodland Path block but uses a Quarter Square Triangle block in the middle, the orientation of the Half Square Triangles at the corners are different and there’s less Flying Geese to make. I really like how this one looks with just two colors, but it would be fun to try another with a third color, maybe for the Flying Geese traveling down the middle.

Lemoyne Star Quilt Block

A traditional Lemoyne Star quilt block uses diamonds and squares and involves y-seams – a trickier seam to sew in quilting. I love how Sara shows how to make this block with Half Square Triangles instead which I think is just as appealing! Dare I say that this one is my favorite so far? I will definitely be coming back to this one and this is would be so pretty to make a whole quilt using just this block.

Drunkard’s Path Quilt Block

This was a fun quilt block to learn and was my first time piecing curves! It wasn’t too bad and reminded me of easing in a sleeve on a shirt but on a smaller scale. To make the Drunkard’s Path quilt block, Sara from Farm and Folk starts with making a template and then cutting using it to cut out the two shapes needed. Sara recommend using cotton for this one, so I used the same background linen as my other blocks, but the floral fabric is cotton. After pressing, the linen sections got a little stretched and wonky so I did need to trim up the squares to 4.5″ before sewing them together in rows.

Weathervane Quilt Block

The Weathervane was one of my favorite quilt blocks in the sew along! It’s a pretty simple block, but does take some time to put it all together. It felt like most of the time was spent prepping and trimming the Half Square Triangles and Flying Geese, before assembling those together, and then finally putting together the whole block. Love the finished look and will definitely be coming back to this one!

Jacob’s Ladder Quilt Block

This was a really fun block to make! The traditional Jacob’s Ladder quilt block is simple, made with only squares and Half Square Triangles, but has 36 total blocks to put together. I went simple and just did two colors, but I would like to make another sometime and experiment with adding more colors in.

Rolling Star Quilt Block

This block has a lot of pieces – 24 Half Square Triangles and 12 squares – but is simple to make! Traditionally it’s made with diamonds and involves a template and sewing y-seams, but I like how Farm and Folk made it more approachable with using only Half Square Triangles. I think the design of this one is so eye catching and would be a fun block to play around with different fabric and color combos!

Marion’s Choice Quilt Block

Ok, this block was so fun! The Marion’s Choice block sort of has an optical illusion effect and the more you look at it, the pattern seems to change. I especially like how the Half Square Triangles form a square on it’s side surrounding the Quarter Square Triangles in the middle. It would be fun to play around with fabric and accentuate that part!

Patchwork Squares Quilt Block

I was a little surprised to see this block for week 18 of the sample quilt sew along, mainly because it’s so simple! It shows up in the vintage sampler quilt example that Sara from Farm and Folk is taking inspiration from, and I like how it looks mixed in with the rest of the blocks. The measurements for each square are a little odd for this one, 7/8″ plus a smidge, because that’s how the math worked out to make a 25 squares in a 12″ block (finished). Even though it’s simple, I love how patchwork looks and it’s so nostalgic to me – it reminds me of my first bag pattern, the Jenny Project Bag! 🙂

Dutch Rose Quilt Block

This was a time consuming block but look how gorgeous it is! It’s not really a hard block, it just took some time to cut everything out, make 44 Half Square Triangles (!) and then sew all 60 pieces together. This block traditionally uses diamonds, which are trickier to cut and sew, but I like how this was designed using HST to make it a little easier.

Monkey Wrench (Churn Dash) Quilt Block

The Churn Dash block was the last block of the sampler quilt sew along! This traditional block has different variations and goes by several different names. Sara from Farm and Folk calls it Monkey Wrench but I kind of like the name Churn Dash better. This was a really fun and easy block made from Half Square Triangles, rectangles and one square.

Extra Blocks

These are a few extra quilt blocks that weren’t part of the Folk Sampler Sew Along but were ones that I wanted to learn and add to my quilt just for fun!

Ohio Star Quilt Block

The Ohio Star quilt block (also called Variable Star) wasn’t included in the sew along but I made two just for fun using a tutorial on Farm and Folk’s blog. It’s made of Quarter Square Triangles and squares and is such a classic quilt block.

Ribbon Star Quilt Block

The Ribbon Star quilt block was another that I found on Farm and Folk’s blog and made it to add to my other blocks in the sewalong. I think this one is so pretty and is very simple, composed only of Half Square Triangles and corner squares.

Schoolhouse Quilt Block

This is the Hurry Home quilt block, based off of a classic Schoolhouse block and designed by Sarah B Sews and Spaghetti Western Sewing. It’s not designed to be a 12″ quilt block, so I added the extra borders in my same background linen to have it match with the others. This is such a fun quilt block to make (and perfect for scraps) and I think it will look so cute mixed in with the rest of the blocks!

Contrary Wife Quilt Block

I would love to learn the history of the Contrary Wife block! This block is super simple and I made it following the tutorial on Farm and Folk’s blog. It’s made only from Half Square Triangles and squares and came together quickly. To make it for a 12″ (finished) block, I cut the squares at 4.5″ and to make the Half Square Triangles (makes two at a time), I cut two 5″ squares, one in green floral and the other in my natural background.

Old Maid’s Puzzle Quilt Block

I love this block! This traditional Old Maid’s Puzzle block is so easy, but the layout makes it look complicated, especially if you had a bunch sewed up next to each other. I didn’t follow a tutorial, but it’s really similar to the Contrary Wife Block (above) except with two more Half Square Triangles added.

Shoofly Quilt Block

The Shoofly Block is a really fun and simple block to whip up! I found this block mentioned on Farm and Folk’s blog in their Half Square Triangle tutorial post. It uses the same pieces as the Contrary Wife block, just the HSTs are arranged differently. To make it for a 12″ (finished) block, I cut the squares at 4.5″ and to make the Half Square Triangles (makes two at a time), I cut two 5″ squares, one in yellow check and the other in my natural background.

Assembling The Quilt

I ended up with 30 blocks which makes a good sized quilt! I loved how all the blocks looked sitting right next to each other but you could also add some sashing, aka borders, in between each block to really make them stand out. After deciding on a design, I sewed the blocks together in rows first, pressed the seams open, and then sewed the rows together. I then made my quilt sandwich! If you want a more in depth tutorial and tips on assembling a quilt, head over to Nine Patch Quilt post.

Quilt Backing

For the backing, I dug through my scraps and found the bigger pieces to use for the back of my quilt. I squared them up, decided on a layout and then pieced them together. This process took a little longer than expected, but I was glad to use up some larger scraps that I’ve been holding on to for a while!

Tip: Make the backing larger than the quilt top so that it makes it easier to see when you’re lining up the quilt sandwich.

Quilt Sandwich

I then made the quilt sandwich starting with the backing right side down on the floor. I taped all around the edges with masking tape to make sure it was laying flat and smooth. I then laid the batting down next, smoothing out any wrinkles. The quilt top goes on last, again smoothing it out.

I used a really nice Quilter’s Dream 80/20 midloft quilt batting which is super soft, has minimal shrinkage and was really nice to hand quilt with – the needle just glided through!

Pin Basting

I like to pin baste my quilts, so I pulled out my basting pins – I use these curved basting pins from Connecting Threads (affiliate link) – and pinned through all layers of the quilt sandwich. I start in the middle and work to the edge, smoothing everything out as I go.

Hand Quilting

Hand quilting just felt right for this quilt and after practicing on my Flower Checks Quilt, my first hand quilting project, I felt confident enough to tackle this bigger project. I first hand quilted in rows along the blocks about 1/4″ from the seam allowance starting in the middle and working my way out, then turning the quilt and going in the other direction. Then I took each block one at a time, usually quilting a simple straight line pattern or following the shapes within the block.

I started the hand quilting in November 2025, and finished up in January 2026, which is honestly not as long as I thought I would take! There were quite a few breaks in there while I finished up my chicken quilt and my Hurry Home x Rue Quilt coat. You can read my tips for hand quilting as a beginner and see all the tools I like to use in my article How to Hand Quilt.

Binding

It felt so good when I finally finished up the hand quilting and I couldn’t wait to get the binding on. I used a micro gingham linen from my stash which I think compliments the rest of the quilt well and isn’t too busy next to the blocks.

First Wash

I was so excited for the first wash and to see what the texture would look like with the hand quilting. I washed on a gentle, cold wash cycle and dried in the dryer. Below is a before and after of the quilt and I’m in love with the final crinkly squishy texture of this quilt!

Finished Sampler Quilt

I finished my sampler quilt right when a winter storm hit in Texas so I took advantage of the snowy backdrop and took some final pictures out in the frigid cold! 🙂

Hand quilting creates such a beautiful texture and even though it took some time, it was totally worth it. I learned a lot throughout the process too!

The back is also really pretty and I like how the quilting pattern really pops against a solid fabric background. And that crinkly texture!

I learned so much by making all of these quilt blocks and it feels amazing to have them all in their final quilt form. Hope this has inspired you to try making your own sampler quilt! Thanks for reading! 🙂