GETTING READY FOR HAPPY TRAILS #PrairieHomeSamplerSewAlong

Join me for the Prairie Home SAL, beginning in March!

Does anything say ‘Americana’ better than songs, stories and quilts from the prairie? I doubt it! The pioneers embarked on the Oregon trail in the early spring and summer to take advantage of the good weather. They must have spent months preparing for the trip and watching the fields for signs of spring.

I’m ‘done’ with winter, as they must have been, but spring is here in my neck of the prairie, so I’ll get ready for the adventure of making the Prairie Home Sampler by Lori Holt. QAL begins so appropriately on March 15th which is International Quilting Day! 

The Prairie Schooners were pushed and pulled along the trail and completed the journey in four to six months, but our journey will be a slower pace, just as adventuresome, with no mud or mule in our forecast.

Here’s the schedule so you can see what our pace will be.

This quilt is from a spectacular quilting book called Prairie Home Sampler Quilt The finished quilt measures 73.5″ x 77.5″ and is a sampling of 32 of the blocks from Lori’s book. All the supplies are listed on the Prairie Home Sampler Sew Along Supplies Page and below.

• Prairie Home Quilt Book by Lori Holt
• Prairie Home Sampler Quilt Fabric Requirements & Sew Along Schedule Free PDF
• Prairie Home Sampler Quilt Finishing Pattern PDF by It’s Sew Emma (going live March 2025)

I will show each block as I finish so you will never be alone on the trail. Be my travel companion and join the wagon train!

Fabric choices: If you have followed me for a while you know I prefer not to choose my own fabric designs and colors. Lori Holt fabrics are stunning, of course,

I’m living on the edge in my neck of the prairie and doing my quilt in a fabric line Laguna Sunrise fat quarter (FQ) bundle by Sherri & Chelsi from A Quilting Life. All fabrics for the quilt, the binding, the outer border, and inner border will be from the Laguna Sunrise line.

Laguna Sunrise fabrics

March to get ready, April to sew!

The first block in April is the Sunflower Block on page 98 of the pattern book.  I chose a pretty bright yellow and two shades of brown. What a beauty of a block this will be, and it’s a fitting first block! The beautiful and wholesome looking flower is a native plant on Great Plains, from Montana and North Dakota. It loves wide open spaces, just like our forefathers did. Also in April are the Tumbleweed block on pg 30, and the Springtime block on pg 64 (highlighted in the blue box below).

I’ve chosen this snazzy stripe for my binding, the gorgeous aqua floral for the outer border and this adorable pink floral for the inner border. I’m in LOVE! I can’t wait to finish the center of the quilt just to get to the finishing.

I hope you join me on this quilt! It will be fun to share our progress together.