'The Hand' Finally Done (Bear Paw Variation)

78 x 90

Today I have some exciting news! I've finished a UFO that's been nineteen years in the making.  (Not a typo and sadly not the oldest UFO on my list!)

Back in 2000 I was taken with a vintage quilt in the Utah state documentation book. (p. 49)  The book called it 'The Hand'  and dated it pre-1900.

I've written a couple of blogs about this project over the years. To see the first blog written in 2012 click here.  In it you can see the vintage quilt that inspired me. I drafted the block from the photo and began making blocks borrowing color combinations (but not placement) from the original.

I made a few blocks now and then, it was not high on my list, but finally I decided to get the blocks done over a winter in Arizona. The sashing fabric I chose didn't work out. This updated blog in 2014, first top shows the completed top with blue sashing having black stars. I tried to like it, I really did, but I fnally realized I would have to take it apart. I ripped out the sashing and chose a brown print. It was a great relief. (If you like the blue better than the brown that's okay. I didn't, so it had to go.)

These photos show the brown print better and closer to the actual color than the full view above.
The top sat for another little while as I did other things and began to think about how I wanted to quilt it. That took time as you hand quilters will appreciate and tackling the basting needs a certain mindset.

           THE TOP                                               

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                   PIN-BASTING (ala Harriet Hargrave) 

I finally decided to do alternating diagonal lines in the pieced blocks about 1" apart and a diagonal grid in the sashing, a bit smaller than 1", a classic simple approach. The border was done in a 1.75" diagonal grid.

sorry about this....not focus, bad color... but shows the quilting.

Strippy Backing

So that's why it took a number of years to finish. I hesitate to make the label....it seems to need a lot of explaining beyond "Made 2000-2019"


I wanted to  mention, too, something about size. Plan your top  4-5" larger than what you want the finished size to be; most important if you are planning it for a certain size bed.

The finished top measured 82 x 95

After quilting it measured 80 x 93

After washing it measures 78 x 90 

I always wash completed bed quilts. I like the look after washing, I like knowing it's clean, markings are gone and I like to know the finished size.  I pre-wash all fabrics when I bring them home but I tossed in a few color catchers just to be sure -  and look what they revealed!

No colors bled into surrounding lighter fabrics but the reds and browns often have excess dye even when they've been pre-washed.

BTW, I just checked the original vintage quilt in the book. It measured 76 x 89 - very close to my finished size though it started much larger.

2023 update: Here is the original inspiration from the Utah quilt book Gathered in Time . the link above does not seem to work. 

Thanks for stopping by. . .

I welcome your comments

News Flash! Bull's Eye Done at Last!

53" x 69"

I promised to share my latest completed project and here it is!

Started in 2002 with a small group of quilting friends, it involved sewing three sizes of raw-edged circles onto a background square, making enough blocks for everyone in the group. After sharing them with each other they were cut into quarters and sewn back together again. I bet some of you have made the same pattern!

I sewed the blocks together right away - but didn't assemble and add borders until 2009. Don't ask!
I knew I wasn't going to hand quilt it and not being confident about my machine quilting it got pushed to the bottom of my very long UFO list.

I finally decided it was time to 'JUST DO IT'.
Does that Nike slogan ever motivate you?


First I did a wavy stitch in a grid along the seamlines using the walking foot on my Bernina 1230....
(Stitch # 3 set at 2.5 and 2.5)

It's a zig-zag in which three stitches are taken for each zig so when you manipulate the stitch length and width you can achieve this nice wave. You can play with the setting to get it more or less waved.

Add caption

Then I did free motion wavy lines within the cirles and one row around the whole circle in the background.
I must say, by the time I finished I had really improved my skills in free-motion quilting.









The back is a pieced strippy making reversible quilt!

Is than an old Jinny Beyer print? :)

I used a large plaid on the bias for the binding.

Finally..... the fun stage!!
I popped it into the washing machine on a brief cycle of low agitation, spun and drained and into the dryer to shrink a bit and fluff out those raw edges. That's the whole appeal of it to me - the scrappy casual fluff! A quick 'trim' of the ravels and voila...ready for use in the family room.
It feels so good to have it done and I really like how it turned out. Why did I wait so long?

Have you finished a nagging UFO lately?