What do you think?
Rate this book
Tula Pink's City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks
Create a sampler quilt as unique as you are!
Tula Pink gives you an inspiring quilt block collection with Tula Pink's City Sampler . Make a beautiful, modern quilt of your own design with the 100 original quilt blocks or try one of the 5 city-themed sampler quilts designed by Tula.
A note from
"You will notice...that the blocks are not named but simply numbered. This is intentional. I may have designed the blocks and given you the instructions on what to cut and where to stitch, but I have not infused the blocks with any meaning. This is your quilt. The fabrics that you choose, the colors that you use and why you are making it are what will give the quilt a purpose. Name your blocks, write in the margins, cross out the ones that you don't like, draw hearts around the ones that you love. In a perfect world, everyone's book would end up looking like a journal, coffee stains and all. The more adventurous ones might rename the book and write their own introduction. Tula Pink's City Sampler is a collaboration between you and me. I am the platform and you are the speaker, so stand on my shoulders and tell the future who you are and why you make."
Tula Pink gives you an inspiring quilt block collection with Tula Pink's City Sampler . Make a beautiful, modern quilt of your own design with the 100 original quilt blocks or try one of the 5 city-themed sampler quilts designed by Tula.
A note from
"You will notice...that the blocks are not named but simply numbered. This is intentional. I may have designed the blocks and given you the instructions on what to cut and where to stitch, but I have not infused the blocks with any meaning. This is your quilt. The fabrics that you choose, the colors that you use and why you are making it are what will give the quilt a purpose. Name your blocks, write in the margins, cross out the ones that you don't like, draw hearts around the ones that you love. In a perfect world, everyone's book would end up looking like a journal, coffee stains and all. The more adventurous ones might rename the book and write their own introduction. Tula Pink's City Sampler is a collaboration between you and me. I am the platform and you are the speaker, so stand on my shoulders and tell the future who you are and why you make."
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2013
172 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
February 14, 2016
I am an experienced enough quilter that I have progressed beyond “how to” quilt books. When I am looking for a quilt book, I am looking for inspiration. I’m looking for new ways to use beautiful fabrics.
In Tula Pink’s City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks, I have found a treasure trove of ideas for new-to-me, creative ways to make modern quilt blocks. Tula Pink is a textile designer and quilt maker. She is known for her bold, unique use of color and patterns. The 100 blocks in this book use fabrics from her fabric lines, so one can see the deep, rich colors and unusual designs.
Tula Pink gives very simplistic directions for making each block. She gives the dimensions for cutting the fabric, tells how many different fabrics are used and how many actual pieces of fabric are needed for each block. Interestingly, she does not name the blocks, they are numbered. In her words, “…I have not infused the blocks with any meaning. This is your quilt. The fabrics that you choose, the colors that you use and why you are making it are what will give the quilt a purpose. Name your blocks…” Perhaps I will do just that.
I tell you what; I don’t intend to make all 100 blocks. I intend to pick and choose the blocks that most appeal to me. I tell you what else; I don’t intend to make all of my blocks 6.5 inches by 6.5 inches either. I might expand to make them 12 inches by 12 inches or 12 inches by 6 inches or 9 inches by… you get the picture.
Oh happy day, I can hardly wait to start!
In Tula Pink’s City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks, I have found a treasure trove of ideas for new-to-me, creative ways to make modern quilt blocks. Tula Pink is a textile designer and quilt maker. She is known for her bold, unique use of color and patterns. The 100 blocks in this book use fabrics from her fabric lines, so one can see the deep, rich colors and unusual designs.
Tula Pink gives very simplistic directions for making each block. She gives the dimensions for cutting the fabric, tells how many different fabrics are used and how many actual pieces of fabric are needed for each block. Interestingly, she does not name the blocks, they are numbered. In her words, “…I have not infused the blocks with any meaning. This is your quilt. The fabrics that you choose, the colors that you use and why you are making it are what will give the quilt a purpose. Name your blocks…” Perhaps I will do just that.
I tell you what; I don’t intend to make all 100 blocks. I intend to pick and choose the blocks that most appeal to me. I tell you what else; I don’t intend to make all of my blocks 6.5 inches by 6.5 inches either. I might expand to make them 12 inches by 12 inches or 12 inches by 6 inches or 9 inches by… you get the picture.
Oh happy day, I can hardly wait to start!
September 22, 2013
I loved the way the book is set up. Picture of each block on the left and a full colour drawing on the right. Although the blocks look simple, the author assumes you have some experience and can create the blocks without detailed instructions.
August 3, 2016
I want to reread this book
Blocks that I liked
5, 21, 28, 29, 32, 36, 65, 74, 97, 92,
Great ideas for alternative placement of blocks on quilts. Look at good ideas in
Trellis
Skyline p 385
Gridlock p393
City planner p 400
Sliding scale p 400
Blocks that I liked
5, 21, 28, 29, 32, 36, 65, 74, 97, 92,
Great ideas for alternative placement of blocks on quilts. Look at good ideas in
Trellis
Skyline p 385
Gridlock p393
City planner p 400
Sliding scale p 400
May 29, 2016
this is a great book to get ideas from. so many cool quilt block patterns.
August 7, 2025
I got this book as a present almost about the time that it came out.
I looked at it and thought Wow, there are a lot of tiny pieces of fabric in each of these 100 blocks--hard pass.
Fast forward to the present when I have been in a Modern Quilt Guild for 18 months, and I know more about scraps and the process of making textiles and the very commendable trend of using ALL your fabric, mix that with one of my friends who quilts is now making her second one of these (she is over 75% done with it in fact) and voila, I am thinking why haven't I made one of these.
The book is essentially mostly the blocks--with pictural directions for sewing and written instructions for cutting (I am on my 4th block and I have already made a mistake in cutting, so this is not going to be a breeze), and then various designs for assembly to finish it out.
You can make this with scraps and that is my intention--my sewing table, which doubles as my dining room table seating 14, is a total mess, but this is well done and I think it will be fun once I get the hang of it.
I looked at it and thought Wow, there are a lot of tiny pieces of fabric in each of these 100 blocks--hard pass.
Fast forward to the present when I have been in a Modern Quilt Guild for 18 months, and I know more about scraps and the process of making textiles and the very commendable trend of using ALL your fabric, mix that with one of my friends who quilts is now making her second one of these (she is over 75% done with it in fact) and voila, I am thinking why haven't I made one of these.
The book is essentially mostly the blocks--with pictural directions for sewing and written instructions for cutting (I am on my 4th block and I have already made a mistake in cutting, so this is not going to be a breeze), and then various designs for assembly to finish it out.
You can make this with scraps and that is my intention--my sewing table, which doubles as my dining room table seating 14, is a total mess, but this is well done and I think it will be fun once I get the hang of it.
October 26, 2013
the phrase "house of tula pink" kind of annoys me. like she's running a parisian couture house? i also wasn't a huge fan of all the stuff about how the reader can take these blocks & use them to "tell their own story" by assembling their own sampler with them or whatever. there was a false humility to the whole thing, & although there is obviously probably no original quilt block out there, i do wonder how a person can "tell their own story" using quilt blocks designed by someone else. & of course, all of the blocks are created using tula pink fabrics. i like a lot of her fabric designs, but basically the book is just one big advertisement for the tula pink brand. so, i didn't love that.
i doubt i will ever make any of the blocks in this book. a lot of them seem insanely complicated for a six-square-inch block. seriously, 20 pieces (or more!) for six inches? i know i complained in another review about not liking really spare quilts with too little piecing, but many of these blocks involve way too much piecing. then again, i quilt my own quilt on my regular home machine. if i had a "quilter," like tula does, maybe i would be more interested in devoting all my energy to piecing really intricate tiny blocks, knowing i was just going to be sending the whole thing off to someone else to do some kind of crazy intricate quilting designs for me. but for me, hiring a professional quilter or investing in a long-arm quilting machine & learning those intricacies myself is beyond my means, financially.
pretty to look at & perhaps good inspiration for thinking up your own blocks, if you can get past the branding. & i did like the simplicity of the piecing instructions & illustrations.
i doubt i will ever make any of the blocks in this book. a lot of them seem insanely complicated for a six-square-inch block. seriously, 20 pieces (or more!) for six inches? i know i complained in another review about not liking really spare quilts with too little piecing, but many of these blocks involve way too much piecing. then again, i quilt my own quilt on my regular home machine. if i had a "quilter," like tula does, maybe i would be more interested in devoting all my energy to piecing really intricate tiny blocks, knowing i was just going to be sending the whole thing off to someone else to do some kind of crazy intricate quilting designs for me. but for me, hiring a professional quilter or investing in a long-arm quilting machine & learning those intricacies myself is beyond my means, financially.
pretty to look at & perhaps good inspiration for thinking up your own blocks, if you can get past the branding. & i did like the simplicity of the piecing instructions & illustrations.
November 14, 2017
This is one of my favorite quilt books even though I've never made anything from it! There are 100 patterns of modern blocks, using a really appealing mix of solids and prints. The blocks are grouped in sections like crosses, triangles, rectangles, and off beat. There aren't any written instructions for each block, but careful piece sizing and a piecing diagram, which most people with basic quilt instruction would find easy to follow.
I love looking through this, as I love the looks of each block, I wish that there were alternate color ways presented or the blocks were shown without quilting which is oftentimes distracting. Also the projects are listed in the back, and other than using a few sashing options there aren't additional alternatives to actual quilt layouts. I would like to see an example of blocks without sashing, or other mixtures of, for example, a variety of cross blocks. Which is why I haven't really made anything from this. But this would serve many home quilt libraries and definitely on public library shelves as well.
I love looking through this, as I love the looks of each block, I wish that there were alternate color ways presented or the blocks were shown without quilting which is oftentimes distracting. Also the projects are listed in the back, and other than using a few sashing options there aren't additional alternatives to actual quilt layouts. I would like to see an example of blocks without sashing, or other mixtures of, for example, a variety of cross blocks. Which is why I haven't really made anything from this. But this would serve many home quilt libraries and definitely on public library shelves as well.
December 31, 2018
This book symbolizes a huge part of my sewing season in 2018. I completed the challenge of 100 blocks in 100 days by following this book page by page. The final quilt will consist of 100 blocks (6 x 6 inches) put together. It is a very beautiful book that is practical and easy to use.
Challenge completed from July 7 to October 14, 2018 (I missed no day), all my blocks are gathered on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/explore/tag...
_______________
Ceci symbolise une grande partie de ma saison de couture en 2018. J'ai complété le challenge de 100 blocks en 100 jours en suivant ce livre page par page. Le quilt final sera composé des 100 blocks (6 x 6 pouces) montés ensemble. C'est un très beau livre pratique et facile à utiliser.
Défi complété du 7 juillet au 14 octobre 2018 (je n'ai manqué aucun jour), tous mes blocs sont rassemblés sur instagram https://www.instagram.com/explore/tag...
Challenge completed from July 7 to October 14, 2018 (I missed no day), all my blocks are gathered on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/explore/tag...
_______________
Ceci symbolise une grande partie de ma saison de couture en 2018. J'ai complété le challenge de 100 blocks en 100 jours en suivant ce livre page par page. Le quilt final sera composé des 100 blocks (6 x 6 pouces) montés ensemble. C'est un très beau livre pratique et facile à utiliser.
Défi complété du 7 juillet au 14 octobre 2018 (je n'ai manqué aucun jour), tous mes blocs sont rassemblés sur instagram https://www.instagram.com/explore/tag...
September 1, 2017
For a visual person who wants block ideas
Nice if you want quick examples of 100 different blocks. It shows how each block can be built but doesn't show how to quicken the job using strip piecing. I wish there was a visual of how a block looks like if repeated but it just shows a single block. This is very helpful if you want to be creative and not follow a prescribed "recipe."
Nice if you want quick examples of 100 different blocks. It shows how each block can be built but doesn't show how to quicken the job using strip piecing. I wish there was a visual of how a block looks like if repeated but it just shows a single block. This is very helpful if you want to be creative and not follow a prescribed "recipe."
February 8, 2021
I'm a fan of Tula's English paper piecing designs, so thought I would check out her other work. There were a few designs that I would make, but the projects weren't for me. Having said that, this is an interesting book, and the author gives a variety of ways to use the 100 blocks in practical items, as well as good directions and illustrations for piecing and constructing the projects.
May 15, 2021
I'm almost finished with all 100 blocks and getting ready to put them all together! It's been done through a BOM with Stitchin' Heaven, with fabric for 10 blocks shipped each month for 10 months, and then I think next month (#11) will be the borders and binding fabric. The instructions throughout the book have been excellent, and I think the finished product will be fabulous!
January 1, 2023
This took me a full 6 years to finish (with some obvious gaps) and it was completely worth it. Beautiful book and I’ve grown so much in my quilting skills. I started the book as a beginner but even enjoyed finishing it as a more “intermediate” quilter. It was nice having a WIP that I could return to when needing inspiration or between projects.
August 15, 2025
Absolutely love Tula Pink & I love this book too! This book has 100 quilt blocks and how to make them, and at the back of the book are some quilts to make. I loved the color choices on the blocks, and it really inspires me to try something different than I normally might. Can't wait to use some of the ideas I got from this book in a quilt!
May 25, 2018
Lots of ideas, missing some steps
I think that this would be better with some options for other sizes. Also, I felt like I missed some direction for a few of the pieces and how to piece them ie all square or rectangle cuts but a round piece in the square.
I think that this would be better with some options for other sizes. Also, I felt like I missed some direction for a few of the pieces and how to piece them ie all square or rectangle cuts but a round piece in the square.
December 30, 2018
Easy going quilt inspiration
Sometimes I crave working on a precision piece and other times improv is more my mood. These blocks will lend themselves to both and I look forward to rendering many of them in both styles.
Sometimes I crave working on a precision piece and other times improv is more my mood. These blocks will lend themselves to both and I look forward to rendering many of them in both styles.
January 5, 2023
I could not get excited about this book. The finished quilt didn't appeal to me. Having lots of ideas for blocks was cool, but kinda useless if you have to figure out how to make them work together because they don't here.
October 11, 2017
I love this book! The layout is simple, the blocks are very creative and the fabric is wonderful!! I have to get this book and try some😊
January 25, 2018
I absolutely had a blast pulling out my scrap fabrics and playing along with this book. The hardest part is deciding on a final layout design for the top. I plan on making all these blocks again!
January 20, 2019
This book provides loads of inspiration, along with plenty of examples of block construction.
February 26, 2019
Great for inspiration.
June 6, 2019
Should buy this book. Its a keeper.
August 13, 2019
Love the variety of designs!
February 8, 2020
Really good for beginners who want to really start to delve into artsier quilts.
January 5, 2021
Love this book so much I immediately purchased a copy. The layout is well thought out and organized. As a quilter, I will definitely be using this book often.
September 15, 2023
Love the pictures. So many great patterns and so little time to make them!
December 5, 2025
Simple blocks great for a beginner, also great to use up scraps with purpose.
Read
October 19, 2023Great resource if you plan on doing a 100 days project, but otherwise not for me.
This one wouldn’t work on my tablet. Not sure why.
Library Hoopla e-book.
This one wouldn’t work on my tablet. Not sure why.
Library Hoopla e-book.
March 17, 2025
A wide variety of fun, pretty blocks and layout options to best display them!
August 23, 2017
A few errors, and no tips besides ideas on how to make the finished quilts. Still a good challenge for beginners, if you already understand the basics on block sewing.
February 3, 2017
This gal is an amazing talent. These quilt blocks are fascinating and so enlightening for me. So creative.
If you get your own copy, she has given you places to make notes about each block.
One thing I noticed is that she puts same color blocks side by side, and then quilts them so they look like one unit. This book squeezed my brain, in a good way.
If you get your own copy, she has given you places to make notes about each block.
One thing I noticed is that she puts same color blocks side by side, and then quilts them so they look like one unit. This book squeezed my brain, in a good way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews