What Goes Around, Comes Around

I’ve reached an age where the only thing I want for my birthday is not to be reminded of it, unless, of course, it’s with a birthday quilt from, Barb. For that, I’ll admit to each and every one of my advancing years!

Imagine my surprise when I opened Barb's package this year and found a block I’d given her a few years earlier. “Wait... What?” It took me a while to process that this was the very same block, only beautifully finished and back in my own hands!

The pattern is from Applique with Folded Cutwork by Anita Shackelford. My original plan was to make four different paper-cut designs from her book. Unfortunately, my hands gave out halfway through stitching the first one. Barb may not know this, but our friend Kathy Smith finished the applique for me. It's her perfect stitches that Barb so admired. 

Barb finished the block with echo quilting, a traditional Hawaiian technique which outlines the applique design in concentric rows of stitching. Her use of silk thread adds a touch of elegance, don't you think? 

Let’s see what fabric Barb chose for the back. It’s a nod to her old New York City stomping ground.

Thank you, dear friend. As re-gifts go, this one's a keeper! XO