I needed a new quilt for my queen-sized bed, and I love this pattern, so this was an easy decision. What wasn’t so easy was deciding on the fabrics to use, especially since I wanted to use ten fabrics, rather than the eight in the original pattern. Thanks to the help from a couple of RCTQ members (thanks Susan M and Nancy!), I had revised measurements to consult and lots of very good tips. I bought the fabric for this in late 2001 with help from a very artistic friend, but I didn’t start making it until October, 2002, because I found out that Blanche Young (the originator of the pattern) would be in town for a class in this very pattern! I finished the top in late November, 2002, and did something I’d never done before — I took it to a long-arm quilter instead of quilting it myself. It was so large that I didn’t want to wrestle with it to machine quilt it, and it was too busy to benefit from hand quilting, so that left a commercial quilter as my choice. She did a gorgeous job with it, getting it back to me in early April, 2003, so that I could bind it and put a label on it. The quilt measures 95 1/2″ x 105 1/2″ and was entirely machine pieced.
