A Happy Little Quilt

If you've ever participated in a round robin, you know sometimes the resulting quilt knocks your socks off. And other times, not so. This is the story of a not so.

I mailed out the center paper-pieced flower and green surrounding border. I knew not all the gals in my group could paper-piece and that was fine. But I was left a little flat by the solid-color borders that came back to me. I figured it'd be a great foundation for some pretty applique and put it in the UFO pile. Where it sat. And sat.

As I prepared to move earlier this year, my quilty friend Becky in Oregon volunteered to finish a UFO for me and mail it back when I was settled in the new place. I decided to send her the  robin, but told her she could make a charity quilt from it or keep it herself.

Dumb move! She just shared a photos of my sad little quilt.

Can't you just see it smiling? Becky added the braided border and final border, the the iris, butterflies and moths. She used patterns from various sources. In the quilt she added both our names as creators.

Not surprisingly, she's keeping the quilt, and will make a charity quilt in my name. I knew from block swaps that Becky is awesome at applique, and this only proves it.

I'm sharing this as inspiration for your UFOs that no longer wow you. No, you can't all send them to Becky, but maybe you can swap with a friend, or organize a swap in your guild. Many quilters enjoy finishing someone else's project.

Or, pin up what you've got to work with and look at it with a fresh eye. Would a fancy border add some excitement? Some applique or other embellishment? Sure, we can hurry and finish them and send hem off to a charity, but I wonder if the sentiment might stay with the quilt. Wouldn't you rather send a happy quilt?