Have you seen Libs Elliott’s sampler sew along quilt for this year? It’s a modern sampler quilt with traditional elements that can be completed in a layout with or without sashing. (I’m thinking mine will be without.) It comes with fabric amount requirements spelled out but I’m kind of winging it and doing a scrappy version. The blocks below represent my progress so far. I have some catching up to do but I’m so happy with how this is shaping up I thought I’d share. The pattern is a block of the month and it’s something you get as a bonus for being part of Libs Elliott’s patreon.
Fabric pull
This was my original fabric pull, followed by where I’ve ended up. The first scheme had this really lovely ochre colour in it, but upon testing my first block I realized that it didn’t work with the other colours the way I’d hoped. (It may still end up being a scrappy binding!) As you can see, I subtracted the ochre colour in favour of some more greys, plus some burgundy, but mostly navy and pink. 
The quilt blocks
The individual blocks have been really fun to sew, and are a good skill builder for things like applique (and there are some curves in the months that follow). This was the first one, with lots of HSTs and basic patchwork:
And a couple more, with applique centers. The pattern instructions explain how to use the freezer paper method. I ended up using needle-turn applique because I couldn’t find my freezer paper. (Even though I know it’s here somewhere!)
More to come, looking forward to sewing up the rest in the cool quiet months this fall. I want to get it done so I can justify starting a new sampler quilt sew along in the new year! If you’re interested you can see lots of other examples on Instagram, under the hashtag #sewsquadsampler2021.