Greetings dear readers! A month ago while doing some organizing in the sewing room, I came across a small, folded up, unfinished project from several years ago that I had completely forgotten about. It was in the bottom of a basket under a bunch of other stuff. The piece was a mess and I’m sure that’s why I had put it away, not knowing what to do with it. Instead of throwing it out, I decided it was worth trying to salvage. Here’s what I found:
The edges were crooked:
And most of the ”tea leaves” did not come together nicely at the points – not even close!
Some of the leaves were too close to the edge to allow any trimming that would leave enough seam allowance for a border. One of the reasons I wanted to salvage this was the excellent hand applique – look at these stitches:
I didn’t want all that work to go to waste! The first thing I did was remove and re-applique the few leaves that came too close to the edge and then I straightened the edges as best I could:
Then I decided to hide the areas where the leaves come together with hand appliqued circles:
Not perfect, but better! Once that was done, I added a border and machine quilted it lightly and VOILA!:
I think it turned out pretty well! Here are a couple closeups:
Here’s the fun backing I picked for it:
And a couple closeups of the simple outline and straight line machine quilting:
This little doll quilt measures 16 inches wide and 19.5 inches high. The bright colors are just right for a late June summer day! Here’s a ”beauty” shot from my deck:
As we get older and time grows shorter, it can be hard to decide what to do with unfinished projects that have been languishing for years. Luckily I don’t have too many of those. In this case, I’m glad I decided to salvage and finish!
Be sure to go to Wendy’s blog, The Constant Quilter (link on rt. side), to see all the June minis.
Be kind, be grateful, and cherish each day, Gladi
gladiquilts 
What a great little doll quilt! So glad you revisited it and gave it a great finish.
Thank you Carla! I’m glad too!
to me, pretty well is a huge understatement…course you see it close up and know its history but to me this is simply wonderful and a great rescue!
Thank you Grace!
Your June mini is a bobby-dazzler!
Thanks Kelley!
The black background is the perfect foil for all those glorious prints, they literally dance across the surface of this sweet little quilt.
Thank you Pat! I’ve used black backgrounds for several of my Asian style quilts because it really makes the beautiful colors of the fabrics glow!
Love it! What a great save. You are so inspiring to me to get my unfinished projects done. Thank you.
Thank you! Good luck with your projects!
What a wonderful read I had this morning of your saved up posts. I too enjoy juggling different projects and also with cross stitching thrown into the mix. Each seems to suit their time in my day. Meanwhile, lovely projects and coincidentally I am working on an Orange Peel quilt from my Tilda leftovers. So love these vibrant prints of yours against the dark!
Btw, I too share your fears. Surely there will be a major correction and saner minds will prevail.
Thanks Jocelyn! Our working styles are similar. Can’t wait to see your “orange peels”. I hope you’re right about saner minds prevailing, but I think it could take a while and I’m worried about the harm and damage in the meantime.
You salvaged your tea leaf quilt perfectly. Sometimes those project just need to hide for awhile until we have the energy to deal with them. I was thinking you’d call it loose tea. The applique circle is ideal for making those slight imperfections disappear. I’ve done that myself. LOL. Your June mini is a beautiful save.
Thank you so much Kyle for your kind words! I totally agree with you about waiting for the energy to deal with mistakes. I like your “loose tea” for a name!😊
What a great quilt rescue, Gladi!
Thanks so much!
It’s beautiful and fairly glows on your deck next to your flowers! The design calls to mind “Shippo” or Seven Treasures, especially with all that luscious Japanese fabric. Just lovely and what a clever save, the center circles.
Thank you so much Cynthia! I’m glad I took my chances on this rescue.
Oh, my goodness, Gladi, I loved this in the early photos, but that last shot of it effervescing amidst the flowers on your deck left me breathless. It is so beautiful. Your use of the circles to cover the mismatching points doesn’t appear to be a coverup. They look like a carefully chosen design element that adds another “Wow” factor to the finish. As always, a treat to see your stunning little creation.
Thanks Janet! The quilt does look pretty good next to my flowering plants 🙂. I agree – it does almost look like those circles were planned 🙂.
What a bright, beautiful quilt. You did exactly what I would have done: use circles to hide the mismatches. They are perfect! So glad you decided to save this beauty!
Thank you Nancy! I’m glad too!
What a fabulous mini! It is funny, when I first saw your dilemma, I thought, why not ad circles to the center? Great minds think alike. It turned out beautifully! Thanks for another month of mini fun. Sorry to be so late in responding. I truly love this one!