This Is It...

My final finish of 2012!  It's hard to believe but this isn't my oldest UFO.  This was the project for a workshop I took with the unbelievably amazing Elly Sienkiewicz 12 years ago.  Elly is known as the "Queen of Applique" and started the renaissance for Baltimore Album style quilts back in the 80s, not surprising for a fellow Wellesley alum;-)  The workshop was a fabulous 2 day getaway at Heartbeat Quilts in Hyannis.  I found out after I signed up that I was pregnant so this was the perfect pre-baby escape, never mind I spent most of the weekend hanging out with someone expecting her first grandchild!

I got the embroidery done, all those french knots, and most of the cherries appliqued but those leaves... eventually this got buried as I moved on to other things.  Last summer I pulled this out when I needed some handwork and finally finished the applique.  Then this summer I was really determined to get it quilted.  Easy-peasy, I hand-quilted around the appliques on our trips back and forth to Maine and promptly forgot about it again.

When I was trying to catalog my WIPs for the BMQG challenge I remembered this and managed to find it stuffed in the bottom of a tote bag.  All it needed was the binding sewn on and the binding was already made!!!  20 minutes later I was ready to watch some trashy TV and tack down that binding!  Easiest finish ever;-)

My favorite part is the tablecloth.  Elly's had a sawtooth border which she just "eyeballed".  For me quilting is about precision, I don't eyeball anything.  I'd already cut the first sawtooth so I had to figure out a way to handle this gracefully when it hit me, fringe!!!

I'm not sure what to do with this now that it's finished... it's not really my style but I'm sure it will make a lovely gift;-)

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 21" x21".
Fabrics: All by Elly Sienkiewicz for P&B.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient
Thread: Mettler Natural (4) 40/3 Quilting weight.