“Independence is loyalty to one’s best self and principles.” ~Mark Twain
After rediscovering them reorganizing the studio, I realized I have had them for about six years. I decided to just finish it and make it a quilt!
I found some leftover Navy Essex Linen to use as a background and plenty of the blue Simply Color fabric. The blue had been designated for a winter quilt project that I abandoned earlier this year.
It didn't take very long to applique the dresden plates after spending what seemed for ever planning the layout and pinning to the linen! The linen was about 44' wide and not my typically favorite size, but I knew going in that it would be more of a display quilt than a cuddle quilt.
It definitely was a nice movie watching project along with some Needlepoint projects.
Meandering seemed best for the linen background and I didn't want to take away from the original handquilting on the dresden plates, so I did some curved stitching on the insides.
I was so pleased that the backing colors and how they married with the original fabrics at the front.
Because of the longarm, I did have to add a strip of scraps at the back to make a pieced backing strip. I can't express how important it is to have the extra fabric on the sides while quilting.
My advice is to always upcycle old things into something more functional for you.
Because of the colors, this quilt will definitely get pulled out for the patriotic holidays and not live in a bin anymore. I am so happy with how it turned out!