Hat Box Quilt

My sister Vicki (shown in photo) has been making hats to sell as a fundraiser for several years. She donates the proceeds of her sales to Camp Kemo, a place for children with illness to enjoy a week in summer. In earlier years, Sis made bridal and keepsake boxes, decorated and wrapped in lovely fabrics, which she gave as gifts. A few years ago, while perusing a library book by Kaffe Fassett, my eyes fell upon a quilt that seemed it was designed with her in mind: THE HAT BOX QUILT. I renewed the book so often that I was forced to return it to the shelf late last fall. But not before I had those templates enlarged, rolled up and tucked away! With the birthday coming at the end of March, I decided to begin the day after Christmas. I pulled out my collection of home decor samples and set to cutting with the templates. What fun wallowing in (choosing from) the variety of fabric choices! The "wallpaper" background fabrics for each block were on hand, but the "floors" were a challenge ~ in stores, I couldn't locate stripes that I had in mind, until... Aha! Thrift stores have men's striped dress shirts a'plenty, so off I go. The thrill of the hunt is the thing, ya know, and I found the perfect stripes. I pieced the "wallpaper" blocks together and then began the applique' process. Over the next weeks, the design wall began to fill up. I later added sashing and borders, and finally, quilted it with the help of my friend Alice and her machine, It's mostly FMQ except for the leaves. I framed and hand sewed the label on, designed by Alice and moi. I joyfully delivered it in person on her birthday, and she LOVES it!