I started these album blocks in 2011 and they'd been sitting around for years. Every now and then I'd sew a bit more, but I had no idea how to set them so I wasn't really motivated. Last year I was determined to finish them and after the blocks were completed I found this toile that seemed to suit them perfectly. It has a slightly greenish cast to the background  which had made it hard to use. It must have been waiting for this UFO all along.

The sashing is a greeny brown and I wanted to have the effect of long unpieced strips so I used a very similar colour at the intersections. This makes it super easy to keep the blocks in line without having to mark anything. 

I cut the setting triangles larger so the blocks could float and not touch the border. I didn't want to have to add a small light border and this gave the same effect with much less hassle. I was debating about the red border, but finlly decided the darker red was just too heavy. It's a luxury having bolts of fabric to choose from, and being able to reel off as many metres as needed.

This beautiful floral was just what was needed for the final touch, even though I had to do some matching of the print to get the lengths I needed. I actually like fiddling around to get the seam perfect, and quite often do it on backings, just for fun.

I'm really pleased with how this turned out. I thought the blocks were a bit boring and the sashing was drab and the toile a "difficult" colour to use. And then they all came together like it was meant to be, and I love it!