This rather ugly rail fence was made in the first months after I started quilting. I got the blocks together and realized it wasn’t large enough and I didn’t like it very much so I picked another pattern and made the homespun quilt shown below which turned out much better. This top has sat in my UFO pile for 6 years and I’m determined to finish it and get it out of my house.
I decided some applique – a bear and trees – might make it cuter for a little boy and make it appropriate to donate. Since I’ve been wanting to try some raw edge applique work on the longarm after I fuse these down, I’m going to stitch around them with the longarm and then do a quick pantograph over the entire quilt. The same bear and trees are repeated at the bottom right edge of the quilt. It won’t be pretty but it will be done!
I like the bears and trees – very Minnesotan.
I think it looks cute. The applique really does “dress it up”.
The appliqué is a really nice touch!
The applique really adds alot – great way to “save” a quilt and make it kid friendly too!Cheers!Evelyn
How wonderful to get a real oldie out of the UFO pile. The applique looks wonderful, it will definitely make someone so happy!*hugs*Tazzie🙂
Wow, what a difference the applique makes on your rail fence quilt!!! I did that on a turning twenty quilt once and was so glad I did–really perks ’em up! Love your star quilt too.
what a great idea to do with an old UFO–it’s funny, the rail fence was my first quilt too–and hated it, but I did get it done.
Mary,I just did the same thing with a rail fence and some applique. I won a quilt kit off of ebay that is country red, beige and blue (very patriotic looking) and put together it looked blah. Then I remembered an earlier project involving appliqued stars. Rather than put the remaining “star” fabric in the stash, I went ahead and cut out as many stars as I could and then put them aside. I pulled them out and starting placing them randomly throughout the top. I like it much better this way!Diannia in Iowa(heading to Burnsville MN this weekend to see my brother and family)dmcdonal@muscatine.k12.ia.us
The bear and tree additions will make it perfect for a donation quilt 🙂