Scrap-Basket Sensations Blog Tour - Day 9

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks to everyone who entered.  You can see the winner here

 

Hurray, it's my turn at last to talk about this book, by Kim Brackett.  First off, I must tell you that I do have a problem with it, which I'll come to in a minute.

When I got my copy I couldn't wait to get started on one quilt in particular.  The quilt in question is called Island Chain, and this is Kim's version:

I had just the fabrics for it too as I had been collecting Spice Trail and other Jo Morton fabrics for quite a while.  Now Kim's instructions tell you you will need a certain number of 2 1/2" strips cut across the width of the fabric, but I only had FQ's.  So I simply cut 4 strips from each one to make my version.  Of course this meant I had to be very careful to use the strips in the right order, otherwise my chains would not have linked up, so out came the sticky notes and pins.  Once I had all the blocks assembled, I spent a while crawling around on the floor laying them out.  (My knees did not thank me for this, so I must sweet-talk Mr Fixit into fixing me up a design wall of some sort.)

More sticky notes and pins brought into action now to make sure I kept things in the right order, then on to the fun.  Sewing the blocks into rows, and then the rows into a quilt top. Thanks to Kim's clear and easy to follow instructions the whole top went together like a dream.

Here is my version, which you may have noticed is also on my blog header now.  It's called Friendship Chain, and it is going to become my absolute favourite, even over Leaves Around the Cabins.  It doesn't have a border yet as I've got to buy some fabric for it, and the bank manager would really rather I waited until next month to do that.

I mentioned at the beginning that I have one problem with this book.  my problem is, shall I make this quilt next,

or this one,

or maybe I'll decide to make one of the other fabulous quilts in here?

What about you?  Which would you chose?

There are 18 fabulous patterns in the book and they all include easy to follow instructions and cutting instructions that will make both scrap quilters and the scrap-challenged (like me) happy.  The book is published by Martingale & Co and can be found on Amazon here, or at your local quilt shop but if you would like to win an autographed copy of it, just leave a comment on this post before Sunday 20 February, when I will use the random number generator to draw a winner.  (If you are a no-reply blogger, please make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.)
Edited to add that I have already had several entrants from people I have no way of getting in touch with if they win.  PLEASE, if you do not have a blog, put your email address in your comment, otherwise I will not be able to contact you should you be the lucky winner.

I did also have some questions I wanted to ask Kim, but I have wittered on for so long that I think I'd better just tell you that tomorrow is the final day of this blog tour and our hostess for the day is Carol at Brown Quilts so don't forget to call in there for the final chance to win one of the autographed copies of the book.