In the quilting groove again

This recently resurrected quilt dates back more than ten years. I started it for my mother's 75th birthday. It was meant to alternate nine-patch blocks with appliqued heart blocks in her favourite colour, blue, but as usual I didn't plan it. When I laid all the blocks out, I was dismayed to discover that it was about half the size of a tennis court. So, I quickly formulated plan B: use the heart blocks alone. I managed to finish the quilt on time (midnight the night before counts as 'on time'!), and Mum loved it. (There's nothing like handmade for getting maternal brownie points.)

The leftover blocks languished for years, but a while ago I put them together into an Irish Chain pattern. I started quilting, using pearl thread, and got a fair bit done during the London Olympics, but then my hands became problematic, and unhappily I downed tools for many months.

When my hands finally recovered, I got going again. The patchwork design itself is fairly plain, so I branched out from my usual strictly utilitarian quilting and did a design in the centres of the white squares ... 

... plus a scrolly white border.

I didn't use batting as I wanted a light quilt that's suitable for the cooler summer nights when a sheet alone isn't enough but a proper quilt or blanket is too much. It has already had some use this summer.

When Mum died, I gave the heart quilt to my cousin Karen, Mum's favourite niece. I think Mum would have approved.