Well, It's About Time!

The Quilt, otherwise known as the "Project Without End" has finally been completed. Yesterday, all I had to do was trim it (above), and bind it (below). After countless hours of hand stitching, using the machine felt like a cheat. But there was no way I was going to attach the binding by hand.

Appropriately enough, I delivered the quilt on Mother's Day to Judy, the daughter of Melba, who began the project a long time ago. We are not sure if 2001 is indeed when she started. The pattern itself , an Orange Blossom applique, dates from 1947, published by Mountain Mist. Judy intends to give the quilt to her own daughter next month as a 50th birthday present. 

Thank goodness for the elves in the washing machine, who transformed the grubby, flat cloth into something much closer to a soft, puffy, much-loved heirloom. I had to use lemon juice and a bit of hydrogen peroxide to get out some old stains that pre-dated my relationship with the piece.

Now I can get back to my own stitching. No, wait. I have to sew a graduation suit for a friend's son, and create a chuppah for another friend's wedding. Stick around, elves, I've got more to keep you busy!