Making Progress on my Modern HST Sampler Quilt Along

I have made some progress on a quilt that had become a UFO.

At the start of 2016 I joined in on the Modern Half Square Triangle Sampler Quilt Along hosted by Blossom  Heart Quilts.  There were to be 24 blocks, released fortnightly, starting with very simple blocks and getting progressively fiddlier.  We would learn different tips and techniques as we went along.  At the end of the year we would we would have a lovely quilt.

I was going along famously until life got in the way and I lagged behind. You can see where I was up to here and here.  I was determined that this quilt will get finished. but life continued to get in the way.

The Bathurst Blog Meet retreat at Perthville this year was the ideal time for me to get started again, so I kitted up each block, ready to go.

On the day I did manage to complete a couple of blocks and got the rest started.

I decided that I would make a 25th block, so that I could make a square quilt, which would be a bit more practical for us.  This is the bonus block that I added to the mix.

That was back at the start of November.

I really wanted to at least have all the blocks completed by the end of the year, so yesterday afternoon I got cracking and finished off the last ones.

It was such a good feeling knowing that all the blocks had been made and now I was up to working out sashing and borders.  Phew!  Time to go and celebrate the end of the year.

This afternoon I got all the blocks and lay them out on the floor.  Hang on.....there is a gap!  We looked for a block stuck at the back of another, then I went right through the list of blocks to see which one was missing.  OK, worked that out and I can't remember stitching it! Darn! Blast! Let's look to see if I at least had the pattern printed out..... Yes, there it was, at the bottom of the project box with the block half made at Perthville.  Phew!  At least I didn't have to start from scratch.

Just over an hour later it was done.

Time to lay the blocks out on the floor again.  This is what it looked like after Mick and I had a fiddle with placements.

I had planned to sash it with a stripe from the main range of fabric that I used and have dark blue cornerstones.  Everything has been from stash, so I would have to have a hunt around for a suitable blue for the corners.  My dark tone on tones have been somewhat depleted.  It will then be finished off with a dark blue floral border.  

However, now that I'm looking at the photo of all the blocks together, I don't know if it needs sashings.  Maybe just the stripe as a narrow border around the outside before the floral? Thoughts please.

I'm really pleased with how it is turning out and can't wait to finally finish it. The quilt along was a great exercise.  I didn't like the method of making four units at a time, which ended up with edges on the bias, so after the initial block didn't use it again.  I'm amazed that I am now fairly confident to even make small half square triangles with the points working out well and hardly any unsewing required.  Quite a change from a couple of years ago when I avoided them like the plague.