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My Finished Choose Happiness Quilt

How many works in progress are in a pile in your sewing room? I have too many to count, but today I’m excited to be sharing one project that I recently finished, my Choose Happiness Quilt! Keep reading to find out more about this bright and fun quilt pattern.

Brightly colored quilt with pink, blue and yellow stars in field of flowers.

In November of 2019, I sat down to do some planning and realized many personal changes on the horizon. My youngest kids (twins) were leaving for college and church missions, and my husband would soon be empty nesters.

I had my kids young (I was 28 when the twins were born) and was now realizing I’d be the first one of my friends to have all their kids leave home. (I also had many fertility problems and began to feel like becoming an empty nester at such a young age was a “second punch” from infertility).

pink, blue and yellow geometric quilt in field of flowers

About the Quilt Pattern Name

I host a quilt along on the blog each year and thought that it would be a good idea to name my quilt pattern for my 2020 quilt along “Choose Happiness” as a way to remind myself I had to “choose” how I looked at things. I was nervous about all of the changes that I *thought* were about to hit us.

Little did I know the changes that were in store for ALL of us during the coming year. To make a long story short, I wasn’t an empty nester for very long. My oldest daughter returned home from D.C. when she lost her job, and my youngest daughter came home when her University closed. My son remained in Texas (he’s working as a missionary) but faced many challenges. I know that the challenges we faced were light compared to most, but they were still hard for us to navigate.

brightly colored quilt blocks on white cutting mat

When I went to write the pattern for the April block that year, I thought to myself, “good grief, I should have picked another name for this quilt!”.

Working on the quilt (and writing the pattern) became a nice distraction from all the “stuff,” and I enjoyed the slow pace of the quilt along during the year.

I finished the quilt top, but it still needed to be quilted and bound. I put it on “my pile” of UFOs and figured I’d get to it eventually.

I decided to gift the quilt to my daughter for her birthday and decided it was time to “get it finished” this month.

Changes from the Original Pattern

pink, blue and yellow geometric quilt in field of flowers hanging on fence

Those of you who participated in the Quilt Along will probably notice that this quilt is different from the original design. I decided that I wanted it a bit bigger (so it would cover your toes while you’re on the couch!). I added a simple 6 1/2″ border with corner blocks to the finished quilt top. It is now 63″ x 63″ instead of the original 50″ x 50″.

brightly colored quilt blocks on white cutting mat

If you bought the pattern, I’ve added a PDF to your account with the instructions for the borders. Just click the link in ANY of your order emails and look for the PDF with “optional border” in the title. All of the instructions are there. The update is FREE for those of you that already bought the pattern.

Finished Quilt Details

pink, blue and yellow geometric quilt in field of flowers
  • Fabrics: Confetti Cottons by Riley Blake Designs in Songbird, Bear Lake, Cheddar, Honey, Super Pink & Rose.
  • Backing Fabric: Floral from the Summer Flower Show line by Liberty Fabrics.
  • Quilting: Pantograph is called Squared.

How to get the Quilt Pattern

You can still buy the quilt pattern in our shop! Instead of receiving the blocks monthly, you’ll be able to download all of them at once when you complete your purchase. If you’re outside of the US, you’ll need to purchase via Etsy.

pink, blue and yellow geometric quilt in field of flowers

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3 Comments

  1. I absolutely love the new optional finishing border!!! Thank you so much for sharing it with those of us that did the quilt along with you! I’ve got my blocks all done, but haven’t assembled them yet….and now I think I’m going to finish them this way, with the sweet extra border and small cornerstones! Love it!!!

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