Way back in the Dark Ages, in 1993, I got a do-it-yourself book teaching how to quilt. I bought some fabric for about a dollar a yard then, when I did not have enough to finish, it sat forever in a box. Then on a quilt shop hop in the summer of 2005, I came across the exact fabric in a shop in a remote town on Lake Huron when I was visiting my niece. I hoped I had bought enough.
I needed another light pink and found it on Ottawa St in Hamilton. It ended up costing me $25 for each of the 2 yards that I bought. I got a parking ticket in a rush hour zone. I cried all the way home because I could not afford that but I was guilty. Today, $25 a yard is common. But not in 1993. I was so proud of myself as I made blocks. I had taken a class in Quilt-As-You-Go at Mary Maxim. I used some of the blocks for a 9 patch setting for a lap quilt. I actually did complete the thing, but loaned it to a missionary family that stayed with us one summer and it did not come home when they did. So sad.
I often used these blocks as samples when I taught beginning quilters here at the Farm. Not sure why I never completed it. I hand quilted each block, often while my daughter was at swimming classes. We were given a square quilting frame to quilt up the square blocks. I later made a dozen of these for a 4-H class I was teaching to hand quilt. I have a whole pile of them here that would be useful if I could find the lug nuts for them.
Blessings,
Unless you really want to keep this quilt, this would be a good project to donate to someone who finishes UFO's for charity.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea.
DeleteI believe in doing what you want with things so it gives you pleasure. Finish it if you like or let someone else. If it was done by hand, it can still be assembled and quilted by machine! I have a friend who was still going to hand quilt a signature top her friends made from her wedding. I said, why not have it done if it would give her more pleasure to have it done. After years of waiting, the quilt is done and hanging and she is so pleased.
ReplyDeleteThis one is hand quilted. Just needs to be assembled and bound. I have all the fabric. Somewhere.
DeleteLoved reading the background story on this quilt...and it gave me comfort to know I am not alone in having UFO’s that go back into the early 1990’s - there is a quilt top that made numerous trips back and forth to Australia during an online friendship quilt go round. Even have the journal that everyone recorded their thoughts & how they approached the design of the round they did. I shutter to think of the postage involved but oh the memories. My own final border to be attached is the only thing left...
ReplyDeleteI love taking a trip down memory lane. Problem is I have so many memories that I can get stuck there. It would be so simple to just sew all the blocks together and add a binding. But I would need to make one more to make it square and I used a ball point pen to do some of the marking. Silly me.
DeleteIt sounds to me like the value in this quilt for you was using the blocks as samples for your beginning quilters. If finishing it seems like fun to you, go ahead. But if not, you could put the set up for adoption next time one of those swaps show up online. I’m sure someone would enjoy finishing it—maybe as practice in QAYG technique.
ReplyDeleteI have this debate bouncing back and forth I my head about finishing it or donating it. But I could finish it then donate it. Or I could . . .
DeleteWhat Janine said is a good idea; sometimes letting go of something is freeing. Other times it's something that means too much to let go, so I guess decide which category this falls in, and go from there? Lug nuts, LOL. I remember those days of doing handwork (me it was knitting or cross-stitching) while my daughters were swimming! Thanks for linking this up!
ReplyDeleteI did find the bag with all the nuts and bolts. I wonder if anyone would be interested in the frames?
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