my bad quilt flashback

Shortly after I married, I took a quilting class.  It was a simple quilt with 2 piece work squares and 2 applique squares.  Every thing was to be done by hand which was good.  I owned a sewing machine by then but really didn't know how to use it well.  I was very intimidated by the machine.  Thank goodness I have gotten over that!  Now if I could just learn to put in a zipper!

I come from a line of talented quilters.  My father's mother was a great quilter.  Her quilts were not art quilts but beautiful pieced quilts.  Her quilts were meant to be used and kept me warm on many a night.  She was also a talented seamstress, knitter, crocheter and anything else that involved needle and thread.  I learned to crochet from her too.

My then new husband's mother is also a quilter.  Perhaps that is why I decided I should learn to quilt too.  My newlywed mind must have thought this necessary.  My mind now thinks I was crazy! 

I found the Quilt Cottage in New Orleans and promptly signed up for the class.  I managed to keep up to some degree but never finished the quilt.  I recently found it when trying to clean up some in my studio.

Let's do the math, shall we?  I have been married for 18 years now and probably took the class 17.5 years ago.  Yes, that means early 1994.  To say that my color scheme is dated might be an understatement!  Yuck!  I have had the opportunity to spend time with friends who quilt this week and so took my unfinished applique square with me to work on.  I patiently sewed two dark blue pieces and the flowers in the middle over the last two days.  I think it probably took me 6 hours to get through that.  My thread kept tangling, my eyes are not what they were in '94 either!  But I did finish the last square!

What remains now is adding the borders or as my friends say 'stripping' the quilt.  Do I break down and do it by machine?  It will certainly take a lot less time that way.

Well now with out further ado are pictures from the quilt tonight...