Red & White Sampler - Sashing or No Sashing?
 

Hello everyone, I need your opinions. This is a red and white sampler that my quilt store did last year. I'm putting it together, but wanted your opinion on whether I should add sashing to each of the blocks.

Most of the quilts I've done have a sashing separating the blocks....so this seems like what I'm leaning towards.

Can you take a look at this and give me your opinions?

If I do sashing, what should I do? plain fabric? Piece some squares out of leftover red & white? Will it make the quilt too busy? And, you can see that they are different sizes.

I've sewn some of them together without the sashing......would it look "weird to have some sashed and some not?

Or, is it just fine the way it is?

Oops! Forgot to ask for suggestions on backing also..........if I don't piece the back...any suggestions on what to put on back!

Thanks for your help! Nora:thumbup:

I really like it with sashing!

I prefer a sashing on sampler quilts only because sometimes the eye has a hard time deciding where one block ends and the next begins, which to me defeats the purpose of displaying all the different patterns. The sashing will give you a little wiggle room to adjust blocks that are different sizes.

That's a very nice sampler. It would be a difficult quilt to add sashing to, though, because the blocks are different sizes.

If I was to add sashing, I would use a plain white. The sashing would give some visual breaks between the blocks, which would make it less busy (and easier to admire the individual blocks). You would have to rearrange some of the blocks to accommodate this. I would try laying out your blocks on a sheet of white fabric, leaving spaces like sashing, and seeing if you like the look.

You may want some to be sewn together without sashing, but you may not... see what you think as you experiment! You might want to un-join the ones you've sewn together already, depending which it is. For example, there is a set of three pinwheels that could be joined, or not, depending on the look you like.


For backing, I would want to use something red and white with a large-scale print, like the Rhapsody wide back in red from Connecting Threads. (http://www.connectingthreads.com/Fab...L60020326.html)

I love it just as it is. It is beautiful.

this was my thought too

Normally I prefer sashing, but this quilt looks really good without it and a lot more modern to me.

Edited to add: If the quilt shop is more focused on calicos and fabrics like Civil War and 30's, then I would probably try to figure out a sashing. If the shop focuses on batiks, paper piecing, or bold and brights like Kaffee Fasset, then I would leave it like it is with no sashing.

Another thought....if you do the sashing, think about a bold black with white print and add a small border of the same print. Adding the black and white will kick it up a notch.

I agree with you Barb in Louisiana. My first thought was definitely sashing, but when I saw the quilt without sashing, I was pleasantly surprised. But I still think, use sashing.

I agree. Perfect without sashing.

Looks more modern the way it is. Love it. I personally think sampler quilts with individual blocks & sashing are pretty boring. This is much more interesting and has movement.