Good Morning Quilters! The picture below is of my friend Bonnie on the right and me on the left, holding up a quilt I was finishing this week. Bonnie knows my BFF Dee, from St. Louis, Mo, so we held the quilt up together to say Hi to Dee and show Dee the quilt’s progress.
This quilt finish should get a trumpeters fanfare !!
UFO Chapter 1: This quilt was started when I moved from St. Louis, MO to Williamsburg, VA., about 17 years ago. My dear friend Dee, who makes wonderful MODERN quilts, attempted to make me a “you are going away-I will miss you” quilt of nine patches. She knew I was a traditional quilter and what could be more traditional than a nine patch? As my departure neared, she came over with some nine patches in a box with other uncut blue and white fabric. She was frustrated about which way to press nine patch seams so they would be opposite the neighbor nine patch when the two blocks were joined together. So she gifted me the box, the idea she had, and said she would miss me. I think she said something about not ever sewing a nine patch ever again, but I could be wrong.
UFO, Chapter 2: While living in Virginia, I decided to add smaller nine patches to the ones Dee made, and put together a quilt top of two sizes of nine patches, Dee’s 4.5”x 4.5” blocks and mine at 3” x 3”.....I avoided seam joining issues by inserting white squares between them. I don’t know exactly when I finished the quilt top, but I would guess sometime around 2005. I thought I would machine quilt it on my domestic machine, and so I had a long armer baste it for me in anticipation of me learning machine quilting. I was wrong.
UFO, Chapter 3: It sat in this unfinished state until I moved from VA to Michigan. This move forced a reality check on just how many quilts I had in UFO status. In 2020, I’m focused on finishing some of them. I pulled out the machine basting stitches, and asked my long armer to quilt it with a nautical theme. It came back from her in July. She quilted it in anchors and waves, as it will be used on the couch at the cabin. I like the quilting, much better than I could have done.
UFO, Final Chapter: August, 2020: Binding......I thought I must have something in my stash to finish this off, but what? After “shopping” in my stash for a while, I found one fabric that would work, but I didn’t exactly like the way it looked.....
The solid blue stripe blended too well with the nine patches, if I used it either straight, or on the bias. I did like the checked stripe part of it.........Wait! What if I used the back side?
That will work!! I cut it on the bias, and sewed the binding on this last week - before I could change my mind about any of it! Yeah! The label will be an easy addition and this will be a UFO no more. I showed the binding fabric via text with Dee and she said either side could be the “right” side.
What have you finished this week, or what have you moved along the line toward a finish?
Please link up and show us a picture to encourage us. I ask only that you link back to this particular blog post and mention Design Wall Monday within your post. Thanks!
19 comments:
I love the 9 patches in the two sizes idea and in blue too! Beautiful finish, happy stitching!
Congrats on a beautiful finish! And even better, yeah for another one off the UFO list. Love your binding choice too, that was inspired.
Great quilt..colors, block size, backing and binding all play nice together.
What a lovely finish on this quilt--congratulations~:)))
The binding looks super...hugs, Julierose
Some quilts/projects just seem to take us on a journey. As did this one. But so special and is beautiful with that quilting and perfect binding.
I love 9 patches!! Your poor friend! LOL I think the side you used WAS the right side. I love that fabric, it's a perfect accent to the quilt!
That design -- larger and smaller nine-patches in blue -- was in Traditional Quiltworks a long, long time ago. (I remember it because I tore the pattern out of the magazine and when I go through the HUGE stack of torn-out patterns I see it and say, "That would be fun to try some time." -- I always THINK I am going to cull that stack but then I tell myself that at least the stack takes up less space than the entire issues of the magazines.....So, YOU'VE made the quilt and I can just admire it! It's lovely.
I take it you no longer live in Williamsburg? My sister lives there now. I love the quilt and I bet it was nice to get it done.
A four chapter quilt!! I love it - and it is really a fantastic quilt! I love Blue and white together - it truly deserves a big shout out!
I love hoe this quilt turned out. The binding and quilting are great. I tried to drag and drop a photo of the quilt top I just finished and that didn't work. How do I post a picture of it if I am not a blogger?
Thanks for sharing your work, it is alway inspiring.
Cathy
A clever solution - and a stunning quilt. Wow!!
Great honesty about an old UFO. I loved reading about it. And, yep, it looks fabulous. You've been using the pieced binding a lot recently. It adds a nice touch to the quilt. Hum, any more UFOs lurking around for you to finish? (I have way too many!)
A sweet quilt with a story that is even sweeter. Your smiles are the best!!!
Super fun finish!! I enjoyed reading your timeline and can certainly relate!!!
waves at Bonnie! What fun memories at her littie cabin next to yours, and her beautiful antiques.
I'm finishing blocks I cut and kitted up for travel 6 or so years ago. Turns out the pattern is the worst pattern ever printed :) After spinning my wheel on it at so many different campgrounds and hotels I gave up and left it home. I've powered though it this past week, just two blocks left to finish but thankfully with fabric and cutters so I can redo some of the worst instructions. hugs, s.
Hi Judy, I really like your binding - it really complements the quilt. Congratulations on your UFO finish. Now you can think of Dee while cuddles under the quilt. Enjoy!
Great journey to a finish, and it turned out wonderfully. I love that binding and your combo of smaller and larger nine patches. A treasure!
Beautiful! Now I have a new squirrel project to do!
What a great story to go along with a great quilt! Congratulations on the finish!
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