Um... happy belated Halloween? Ok, I know that it's a little crazy to show you a Halloween quilt now... except that this might be a good time to shop for Halloween fabric at clearance prices, right?

Here's the backstory. I was a part of the book tour for Holiday Wishes by Sherri Falls in July 2016. All of the patterns in the book use Christmas fabric. But I challenged myself to be different, so I reinterpreted the Gingham Stars quilt in Halloween prints. I used a fat quarter bundle of Spooky Delights by Bunny Hill for Moda Fabrics.

I sent the top out for longarm quilting. But then when it was returned to me, we were in the midst of the house purchase, and I didn't immediately stitch the binding. Gingham Stars was packed away, unfinished, when we moved. And then one week before Halloween, I knew that I wanted it completed NOW. The only problem was that I was in NYC for that entire week! So I finally got that binding stitched down just 2 days before Halloween. Whew! (Are you still reading? I hope so!)

Don't even ask me how we found time to decorate the outside of the house, but I couldn't get myself to stitch that binding!

Yes, those chrysanthemums are pink!

Halloween Gingham Stars has kind of taken on a life of its own. I've received so many emails requesting information about this quilt. Then one day I discovered why - it's been pinned and repinned on Pinterest! And I've seen on Instagram that several quilt shops created kits and taught classes to duplicate my quilt. I love that it has inspired many people to make their own versions. (I'll admit that sometimes it stings when I see it popping up online and I'm not credited, but I do realize that some makers might not know the origin.)

A big thank you goes to Sherri Falls for writing such a great book, and also to Kaylene Parry for her beautiful modernized Baptist Fan quilting.

And now I am ready for Halloween 2018! Just add candy corn...