I got HOOKED!

I really liked the look of this month's Schnibbles pattern, Hook.  I got Basic Grey's fun new Christmas 2014 line, 25th and Pine.  Guess what goes perfectly with 25th & Pine?  This tone on tone green polka dot from Bonnie & Camille's April Showers line!

I ran out of the white fabric (and steam - I have 3 baby gifts to make!), so I left off the last 2 borders.  I'm going to get a fabulous striped binding to finish this off.

Love the pattern, Carrie.  Sinta and Sherrie - I'm ready for the parade!

Seven years in the making!

Backstory, abbreviated:  I started this quilt in 2007 as a block of the month.  It's the Golden Memories sampler designed by Lori Smith, From My Heart to Your Hands.  Loved the fabrics and made the first 3 blocks immediately.  Following my usual block of the month M.O., the rest of the blocks were put in a project block since I was always in the middle of some other quilt project when they arrived in my mailbox.

Fast forward to November 2011, when I started to work on the blocks again.  I made many fabric substitutions when I found that the combinations were not always pleasing.  I was very happy to have a large Civil War reproduction fabrics stash that I could use to make this quilt my own.

I also discovered some sizing issues with some of the sampler blocks, and ended up having to remake 9 blocks in order to have them fit the 7-1/2" block size. 

My friend Joyce, upon seeing my finished top, told me I had to  have it hand quilted, so I did.  And I am so happy I took her advice.  I contacted a company called Plain and Simple Quilts and a lovely lady named Mary beautifully hand quilted my sampler.  Those log cabin strips are 3/4" finished, people!  And each patch is outline quilted. 32 sampler blocks, 31 log cabin blocks and pieced outer border.  2,980 pieces.

This.  This is my masterpiece.   I don't know if I will ever top this one (but I'm going to keep trying).

Embargo, Month 2

How did I do?   Well, suffice it to say, this picture says it all.   I did make it almost through the entire month of February with no fabric purchases.

What did me in?  I got a message that the Civil War sampler quilt I was having hand quilted was on its way home to me.  I intended to use the border fabric for the binding of this quilt, but when I found the fabric in my stash, I didn't think it was meant to be the binding.

There had to be something better.  A dig through my Civil War stash told me it wasn't anything I already had, so I went poking around at the Fat Quarter Shop.  I found what I thought would be a great binding, an olive green and black Jo Morton pinstripe, and it was on sale!  I bought it with less than a week to go before the end of the month, thereby losing my "no fabric" bet with my DD.

I wasn't even sure the fabric would be a match - you know how it is sometimes when you order online - the color you get isn't always the color you were expecting.

Was I happy?  Yes, it was a perfect match.  I will share a picture of this gorgeous quilt when the binding is done, later this week.