Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Work in Progress



Here is a peek at one of the quilts I hope to finish this month.
It is a twin size nine patch that still needs the outer border.
This project and I have been "frenemies" for a very long time.


The quilt top actually started out looking like the above photo.
It was given to me over 25 years ago by my Grandmother.
She had made it for a family member as a wedding gift.
When she showed it to them, they did not like it.  
Then Grandma didn't have the heart to finish it, and gave it to me.
It  sat in a dresser drawer at my house for the next 25 years.
Every so often, I would pull it out and look at it, 
but I could never quite decide what to do with it.


Part of the dilema was that I didn't like the dark blue sashing either.
In my opinion it made the quilt feel somewhat oppressive.
Grandma also made this quilt late in life when her eyesight had begun to fail her.
Notice the uneven seams? 
As an inexperienced quilter, 
I could not figure how to quilt something with such uneven seams.


So...you guessed it. I tore the quilt totally apart, evened up
all the blocks, and purchased some additional fabric,.



Once all the blocks were laid out, I decided there were
enough blocks to make two twin size quilts.
Perfect for the guest room where the grandkids sleep over:)


Lighter sashing fabric was then added to blocks and 
two twin sized quilts were constructed.


Ahh! That's more like it. Bright and cheerful:)


Today I was able to purchase the fabric for the outer borders and
began auditioning various machine quilting patterns.


One of my personal goals for 2013 is to expand my machine quilting skills.
I have come the conclusion that it will not happen without practice.



Hopefully I will end up with two lovely quilts Grandma 
would be proud of, 
and the "frenemy" quilt will finally be loved:)



Linking up today with...







May you always Sew in Peace!