Chiaverini - Sylvias bridal sampler from Elm Creek quilts: the true story behind the quilt

Text copyright 2009 by Jennifer Chiaverini
Artwork copyright 2009 by C&T Publishing, Inc.
Publisher: Amy Marson
Creative Director: Gailen Runge
Editor: Teresa Stroin
Technical Editors: Teresa Stroin, Carolyn Aune, Sandy Peterson, Gailen Runge, and Ann Haley
Copyeditor/Proofreader: Wordfirm Inc.
Cover Designer: Christina Jarumay
Book Designer: Aliza Shalit, AK Design
Production Coordinator: Kirstie L. Pettersen
Illustrator: Richard Sheppard
Photography by Christina Carty-Francis and Diane Pedersen of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted
Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be used in any form or reproduced by any meansgraphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systemswithout written permission from the publisher. The copyrights on individual artworks are retained by the artists as noted in Sylvias Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek Quilts. These designs may be used to make items only for personal use or donation to nonprofit groups for sale. Each piece of finished merchandise for sale must carry a conspicuous label with the following information: Designs copyright 2009 by Jennifer Chiaverini from the book Sylvias Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek Quilts from C&T Publishing, Inc.

Attention Copy Shops: Please note the following exceptionpublisher and author give permission to photocopy () for personal use only. Attention Teachers: C&T Publishing, Inc., encourages you to use this book as a text for teaching. Contact us at 800-284-1114 for more information about the C&T Teachers Program. We take great care to ensure that the information included in our products is accurate and presented in good faith, but no warranty is provided nor are results guaranteed. Having no control over the choices of materials or procedures used, neither the author nor C&T Publishing, Inc., shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. For your convenience, we post an up-to-date listing of corrections on our website (www.ctpub.com).

If a correction is not already noted, please contact our customer service department at ctinfo@ctpub.com or at P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549. Trademark () and registered trademark () names are used throughout this book. Rather than use the symbols with every occurrence of a trademark or registered trademark name, we are using the names only in the editorial fashion and to the benefit of the owner, with no intention of infringement. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chiaverini, Jennifer.
Sylvias Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek quilts : the true story behind the quilt : 140 traditional blocks / Jennifer Chiaverini.
p. cm.
Includes index.
Summary: This book contains the patterns for the 140 traditional blocks that make up the quilt, Sylvias Bridal Sampler, that was featured in one of Ms.

Chiaverinis previous novelsProvided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-57120-655-8 (paper trade : alk. paper)
1. PatchworkPatterns. 2. QuiltingPatterns. 3.

Patchwork quilts. I. Title.
TT835.C459 2009
746.46041dc22
2008036549 Printed in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To the quilters around the world whose fascination with Sylvias Bridal Sampler inspired this book. I am grateful to the wonderful quilting friends who contributed blocks to the original Sylvias Bridal Sampler: Theresa Acker, Barbara Alberti, Mary Althaus, Doris Ast, Sandy Bandt-Coles, Michelle Banton, Beverly Beyer, Adelle P. Bilzing, Carol Bremigan, Therese Bridwell, Jan Browning, Janet L. de Moya, Terry Dorman, Diane Firari, Jonne Fleming, Jeanette Franklin, Diane J. de Moya, Terry Dorman, Diane Firari, Jonne Fleming, Jeanette Franklin, Diane J.

Frauchiger, Sally M. Graff, Sue Hale, Maxine Hameister, Donna R. Johnsen, Sue Johnson, Susie Klostermann, Elinor Koepcke, Carol Donis Krein, Nancy Dunn Kurr, Becki Kurtz, Dianne L. Larson, Linda Lazic, Diane Liebenthal, Nancy Linz, Judith Litman, Rita Loper, Karen Mackowski, Nancy Martin, Mary B. Meier, Alli Mielcarek, Flo Mielcarek, Janet C. Miller, Sharon Miller, Clare Nordman, Suzanne Myers Otto, Isabel Pentony, Terri Petasek, Patty Pohlman, Carol M.

Preuss, Sharon Raimondo, Leslie Rector, Betsey Rewey, Rosemary Riederer, Wendy Robertson, Marion Schey, Gail Schlise, Rosemary Schmidt, Nancy Schrader, Cindy Schramm, Pamela Schuster, Pam Skaar, Caraline Smith, Suad Stratton, Joan Stuesser, Annette Tallard, Renee Hoffmann Thompson, Sue Trepte, Ann Tulip, Carol A. Valenta, Sue Vollbrecht, Carol Walters, and Judith H. Ward. I offer a special thank-you to the quilters who contributed photographs of their beautiful Sylvias Bridal Samplers: Tanya Anderson, Trisha Chubbs, Simone de Haan, Cobie de Haas, Elise Fare, Barbara Jennekens-Nellestein, Valrie Langue, Susy Parrett, Anne Ida Rkeness, Joan Sheridan, Annelies van den Bergh, and Caroline Van Maele-Delbrouck. This book would not have been possible without the contributions of the wonderful creative team at C&T Publishing, especially Teresa Stroin, Gailen Runge, Christina Jarumay, Amy Marson, and Kirstie Pettersen.

How to Find Each Block in the Quilt Weve given you an easy way to find any block within the quilt. How to Find Each Block in the Quilt Weve given you an easy way to find any block within the quilt.

The blocks are all coded with a letter for the row and a number for the column that the block is in (see diagram on ) is coded as Block I-4. If you go down to Row I and over to Column 4, you will find the Anvil block. If you want to create a quilt exactly like Sylvias, place your blocks according to their grid numbers.

Before it became an international quilting phenomenon, Sylvias Bridal Sampler began within a story. The novel The Master Quilter, to be precise. In the sixth book in my Elm Creek Quilts series, the staff of a fictional quilters retreat in picturesque central Pennsylvania conspire to create an extraordinary sampler quilt to celebrate the wedding of founder Sylvia Bergstrom Compson to her beloved Andrew.

Sarah, Summer, and the other Elm Creek Quilters spread the word, asking Sylvias friends, family, and former students to contribute 6 6 blocks expressing what Sylvia means to each of them as a quilter, teacher, or friend. Blocks soon began arriving from across the country and around the world, accompanied by heartfelt letters expressing abiding friendship and admiration for the renowned Master Quilter. After twists and turns of the plot, in which the blocks are lost and then recovered, Sylvias friends present her with a beautiful quilt that celebrates the joy of her marriage, as well as the enduring bonds of friendship. I always enjoy making the quilts featured in my novels so that I can display them on my book tours and on my website. As I awaited the publication of The Master Quilter, I followed the Elm Creek Quilters example and enlisted the help of 72 talented quilting friends from across the country. Supplied with drawings of the blocks and fat eighths from my first fabric lineSylvias Collection from Red Rooster Fabricsmy helpers eagerly took to the task.

Before long, I had collected 140 lovingly sewn blocks, each bearing the unique tastes of its maker and enhanced by Sue Vollbrechts beautiful longarm quilting. Wherever I displayed Sylvias Bridal Sampler, readers and quilters alike admired it, and many remarked that they would like to make one of their own. To get them started, I included patterns for five of the blocks in my second pattern book,