The Little Quilt Top That Could

I am actually starting to like this quilt again--shock shock! It always humbles and amazes me how quickly the quilting stage can add new life to a quilt top that seems almost hopeless. The blue fabric was something I quickly fell in love with at the quilting store (2 yrs. ago?) and made an on-the-spot decision to purchase enough to be a focal point in a smallish quilt. Then, for reasons that only I can even begin to fathom, I decided that the dark reddish fabric (hideously ugly, old and languishing away in the bottom of my fabric totes, probably the sum total of my decision making for that day) would be a good background fabric for my basket blocks. I'm not sure I was thinking much of anything beyond, wow! beautiful fabric.*smirk I enjoyed making my baskets, the quilt top went together in a big hurry and the border was ridiculously easy to put on. Quilt Top Done! Acckkkk!!! It somehow did not meet my rather grandiose expectations of true brilliance. So, I hid it away with my other quilt tops until this spring when I wanted a quick little quilt top to put in the hoop. I've been hand quilting on it rather reluctantly, begrudging every moment of time I spend on this hideous little quilt until somehow it snuck into my heart AND aw shucks, I'm actually starting to like it just a little bit in spite of myself. The hand quilting, in all it's imperfections, is bringing texture to the quilt and perhaps some old fashioned goodness. It may be just that, as I sit up hand quilting into the late evening, I'm putting my worries, cares and stresses into this little quilt top and it helps me cope with another day. That has value to me. It makes me hesitate to be so dismissive of a quilt that doesn't quite measure up....