Pastel Basket Blocks....

In my last post, I mentioned a quilt top that I was working on.  I had purchased the finished blocks at an estate auction of a quilter back in 2011.  Most of what I bought at that auction was fabric, but there was one tote that had these finished blocks in it along with extra fabric and the pattern...all part of a "kit".  (The original price tag of $180 was still on the plastic bag inside the tote!)

In an attempt to try to finish up some "UFO's", I pulled the blocks out a couple weeks ago and took a close look at them.  They were pretty, but they were NOT cut or sewn accurately, so they were not square.  To make them usable, I had to trim them down from the approximate 8.5" that they were to 8.25".  In doing so, I lost all the points on the baskets.  I hated to see these blocks go unused...so losing the points was the answer to making the blocks square.

I also didn't like the layout in the pattern, so I threw them up on my design wall and came up with this layout...adding the cream sashing between the blocks to cut down on the "busyness" of the scrappiness and to increase the size of the top to fit a queen-sized bed.  

Then I decided to make my first-ever "piano-key" border.  I finished attaching the last border tonight!!

It measures 84.5" x 102" so it is difficult to get a picture of the whole thing.  Instead, I folded it in half and laid it across my ironing board to take these pictures.

The colors are very "shabby chic"...soft and muted...what is referred to as "low volume".  It's not my usual type of quilt because:

1.  I like lots of contrast between the colors to show the definition of the pattern more; and
2.  I don't usually like "kit quilts".  I prefer "scrappy quilts" with my own choice of fabrics.

All-in-all, I'm very happy with what I was able to do with them and I think they make a very pretty quilt top...and I didn't have to do all the work of cutting and sewing the original blocks!  

For now it goes on the quilt rack with the other quilt tops that need quilted.  At first I thought I'd machine quilt this one, but I'm thinking I might put it into the frame after I finish Erin's wedding quilt.  I've never done the "big stitch" quilting using perl cotton thread, but I'm thinking this might be the quilt to try it on.

Loretta