I found this quilt top on eBay years ago, thinking that I'd hand quilt it in my "spare time." Hahaha! Sound familiar?
When the top arrived it was a bit rough around the edges but SO beautiful. Most of the blocks were hand pieced, and while there were a couple of spots and stains, I was besotted. The maker appeared to have used all of the bits of red fabric she could find, in many different shades. Sometimes its difficult to remember a time without quilt stores stocked to the brim with bolts and bolts of gorgeous fabric in an abundance of prints and coordinating solids.
After carefully laundering the top, I sent it off to one of my quilters - more on them later! It arrived back two months later and looked absolutely lovely. We chose to use white thread so that it would show up on the red pieces. We added a bright red binding (shown above, done with an "invisible" stitch), washed it once again (on cold, delicate cycle) and now it practically shines.
There are many, many stories to tell, about quilts, quilting, and the people who make them. Stay tuned!
~Alline