Perserverance pays off!

I started this quilt on August 5, 2009. Now, one year later, it's all finished. Why did it take so long to complete? Well, it wasn't for lack of interest. See, I started this quilt to keep myself pre-occupied last summer while I was unemployed. This quilt (and my crayola quilt) was my saving grace. It made me feel productive, even though I was struggling to find a new job. We had just moved to Florida. The country was still struggling through a recession, and I was competing in a market that primarly focused on the hotel and restaurant industry. Yep. No Human Resources jobs available. I finally found a job in November, 2009 (so five months after we first arrived); and all of my quilting was put on the back-burner.
I love this quilt top. It was challenging, that is for sure. I love a good challenge, though. I also had been wanting to make a red-white-and-blue star sampler, so this was right up my alley. I love fabric, but I don't like to hoard it. Good quality quilting fabric is expensive (roughly $10 per yard), so really, I can't afford to hoard fabric. And, once I start a project, I have to finish it before I start a new one.
Now that this quilt top is complete, I will take it to my neighbor, Patty, to have it quilted on her long-arm machine. I will post the finished quilt once it's all finished! Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!

I ended up cutting an sewing some 800 squares, each was 2" x 2". What a royal pain in the booty. but if I didn't finish what I started, this quilt top could have taken two years to complete.