Working on a UFO

Hand quilting can be tedious as I am finding out while quilting a bed quilt. It is especially time-consuming when one is trying to make fine, tiny hand stitches! I started this twin size quilt a few years ago now and have set it aside from time to time while working on other projects, projects that are now finished due to the fact that I sent them out for machine-quilting! The quilt I am speaking of is a Sampler quilt that has some quilt blocks with a political association which were published in The Quilter magazine (the second row down has Landon's Sunflower, Old Tippecanoe Block, and the Harrison Rose). Other blocks were ones I made to try a technique or pattern or to re-create an antique quilt block in my collection.

Quirky quilt in progress. My "Maple Leaves" have a mind of their own!

I have skipped around while quilting, doing a little bit of quilting in each block and some stitch in the ditch along some quilt block border sides, so far no quilting in the two main borders. I am tempted to tie those as I don't think I have the stamina to hand quilt them. Maybe I'll just hand quilt a motif in the corner border squares.

In the meantime, I realize just how quirky this quilt is. I did not cut one of the borders the correct length so added in a strip of fabric and wrote on it, "Die Gedanken Sind Frei" - the name of a German song that means "Thoughts are Free" or "One can think what one wants!" It was a song that was popular with German youth groups at one point in time.

I like the quilt because it is colorful and has a batting that would make it a warm bed covering. I've yet to cut the separate binding which will be a brown print.

There is a reason that UFOs remain that way. I am trying to finish this one, as best I can, but I am also eager to move on to my next project, even if it is another UFO (unfinished object). At one point, I even resorted to trying to machine quilt along one border but was not pleased with the result. No, I guess I will just stick to what I know and either finish it by hand quilting or tying - probably both. Wish me luck!