Inch by inch, stitch by stitch, it’s all come together.  Today is the day I’ve finally finished my Whig Rose quilt top!  I finished the 9 blocks 10 years ago, then worked on the border, putting it away when we served our missions.  All I had to finish were the corners, and today I did those while we were up at the cabin for our book club retreat.

My friend and fellow quilter, Penny Stephenson, found a small black and white photo of an old antique quilt like this, and from that picture, she drafted the pattern.  It’s hand appliqued–I used cereal box cardboard to make templates and turned the edges with spray starch to prepare the pieces for applique.  It wasn’t difficult, the pattern pieces repeat often.  This is my favorite technique for this type of quilt–I can prep 100s of leaves in a sitting.  The applique went with me for many months as I stitched, inch by inch.

Here’s a look at the back:

Here’s the fabric I picked for the back.  It’s off being quilted now by Penny.  I’m pleased with how this beautiful quilt has turned out!