I first wrote about this vintage orphan quilt top 3 years ago here.

I saw it on Etsy and its polka dot happy ways and free easy piecing called out to me. I bought it for a song.

I know nothing of the person who made the top. After a while I came to think of her as Betty. I know she liked to piece by hand because it was entirely hand stitched. 

in a very liberated or make-do style.

To keep in character I knew the quilting had to be just as rustic. At first I chose to tie it with yarn ties but in the end gave up that plan because the woolly gatherings distracted from the interesting piecing. 

So I reverted to my favourite style of quilting with big stitches using perle8 cotton thread. I free hand quilted in simple shapes of crosses, squares and my favourite: circles. 

When it came to the binding I wanted to keep the uneven edges so I used scissors rather than a rotary cutter to trim away the excess 

I guess you could say the quilt is a collaboration between Betty and I. Betty choosing the fabrics, the pattern and piecing all those little pieces and I was in charge of quilting, the backing and binding. 

And I get to choose the name. Maybe it could be Partners In Crime. Some of you will recognise the pattern as being Courthouse Steps. The place where crimes are judged. My partner ignored the rules with her ad lib piecing, wild block placement and soft rebellious puckers. Then there's me with my big uneven stitches in random shapes and colours, wavy edges and scrappy binding. We're like rebels taking our stitches into our own hands and being on the run from the Quilt Police. 

Or I could call it simply The Polka Dot Daisy Quilt. 
I haven't decided yet.

As you know I always like a photo shoot to celebrate a finished quilt so I wandered down to the local park and took a few photos.

The backing that I made using fabrics from my stash similar colours to the front.

Feeling uninspired for clever photo shots I started looking around. A pop of blue blue in the distance caught my eye.
" Why hello little balloon" I greeted it, " Did you get lost on your way to a party? or have you perhaps flown from miles away from a celebration of sorts?" .

The balloon didn't say anything but I noticed it was pointing at a large rock through the trees.

 I'd never noticed the rock before but it was the perfect size for draping a quilt.


 Some quilts look so pretty scrunched up and tousled, as though they want to be used and handled not just admired hanging on a wall or laying neatly on a bed. This is one of those quilts. I can see it being a favourite on the couch or travelling with us when we go on holidays.

If you ever come across an orphan top that makes your heart flutter I highly recommend you take it home and give it a new life as a quilt. 


One more photo... I took this on my way to the shops yesterday. The light shining on the ferns was glorious. I could almost hear angels singing.