Friday, August 29, 2014

Let's go dancing!

Friends, I could weep.

Seriously, I feel the tears forming.

Dancing Nines is now a finished quilt top! Take a look:

The sun came out just as I was taking this!
I love it!  And really, I could weep. These pieces sat in a drawer for more than 16 years. (Original post is HERE.) I packed them and moved them to a new house. I considered finishing the quilt several times. I lost some of the fabric. The instructions became outdated and incomprehensible. I finally pulled the pieces out a couple of months ago, during the red month of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I found one of Bonnie Hunter's free patterns and finally went for it. And now it's done!


The finished size of this baby is about 58 by 68. I have only a small handful of random pieces left. (Happy dance!) I like the way the checkerboard border turned out, but I'm not eager to do another one any time soon. So many seams! Stretchy! And I wasn't sure about the green, but now I like it a lot. Gives it just a little zing. I might even use it for the binding.

I learned a couple of things while making this. First, I am MUCH better at sewing now than I was 16 years ago. I guess I learned a few things in between. Some of those 9-patches are a little off, but I left them anyway. Would you have ripped every one of them apart to fix them? Yeah, me neither. Another thing I learned is that the fabric has definitely gotten better too. The red fabric in this quilt was first quality fabric, purchased at the shop where I took the class, and it is quite thin and very ravelly (if that's a word). Ripping some of those smaller pieces to make the checkerboard pieces was difficult because the fabric would actually tear. Today I would reject it as poor quality. So I guess we're getting some good value for our $12 a yard.

And look what I got out of the leftover green border-- a bright green Odd Fellow!


He looks happy. (Oops. I see a star point cut off. I'll fix that right away.) And here's the second red Odd Fellow's, which I also finally finished this week.


Do you know what this means? For the next 48 hours, I am completely caught up with RSC14! I plan to enjoy it while it lasts.


 It's Labor Day weekend, so everyone enjoy the last weekend of summer. Hope you're inspired to pull something old out of the closet or the drawer and give it a new life!

Linking to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, crazy mom quilts, and the awesome Angela! Visit sometime this weekend for some more fun projects.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Mari, that is gorgeous!! What a great finish. I would weep a bit myself. It must feel so good to have that one done and out of the WIP pile after such a long time.

As for the fabric quality, everything is soooo much nicer these days. I worked at my father's fabric store for years as a teenager and the cotton fabrics that can be purchased now are of such a better quality. So yes, we are getting something fo that $12 per yard. (Tho I try very hard not to pay full price.... I am a bargain hunter!)
Have a great weekend!

Sara said...

The quilt turned out gorgeous! See - it was meant to be! This one didn't want to be whatever the original plan was because it knew that something better was in its future. Love that addition of green - just a great touch.

Scooquilt said...

Wow, what an odyssey! And well worth finishing! This looks like a summer picnic to me.

PugMom said...

What a fabulous zippy quilt! Much better than a boring Burgoyne Surrounded! Congrats for finishing an old UFO!

Gina said...

Love the quilt and it does dance. Either it's moving or I need more coffee. xxx

scraphappy said...

Huge hugs and high fives for finishing off such an ancient project!!!! Way to go! Love the finished effect of the "dancing" setting. AND the green is just the perfect little POP of color. Lovely!

Sarah said...

You deserve a happy dance moment. A great finish after 16 years. It looks wonderful, I think the green makes it sing too. Well done!!!

Nell's Quilts said...

Way to go girl! You've done a terrific job finishing off a long standing project. Those are tears of joy and celebration! Caught up is definitely a good feeling.

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

This turned out great! I guess you were finally ready to finish this. I really like the green and a green binding might be great finish. Isn't it fun to look back at how far we have come!

Edith said...

Congratulations on finishing, I've had several projects that have hung on for years, There is a time for starting and a time for finishing, right now I'm working a little more on finishing. Love your green and red stars, so crisp.

Katie Z. said...

I love the blocks, and congratulate you on finishing a UFO with style!

Gemini Jen NZ said...

What a super cool pattern! It's always great to see something different...and it seems there is hope yet for some of my UFOs (though I think the oldest is only about four years old...) :-)

Julie in GA said...

Doesn't it feel great to finish an old project! I love your Dancing Nines quilt, and your Oddfellows blocks are beautiful too.

Sheila said...

Congratulations on this beautiful finish! Love your RSC blocks.

Unknown said...

Your quilt looks wonderful - don't you love a project that you started at a whole other stage of your life? But I'm particularly drawn to your blocks - the colours and design are awesome!

Cathy said...

Congrats on the finish!! And I've said it before....just love the Odd Fellows. I think if I was making them they would end up being called Off Fellows because I know a lot of my points would not match.

Deb A said...

What a great finish! I love the dancing nines and that green just makes it sing. Would be great as a border too. Big pat on the back for finishing such an old UFO. I too have noticed my piecing skills have improved over the years =).