From Rubbish to Respectable

 Some years ago I made two covers for the benches in my kitchen.  The tension on the sewing wasn't great, and as I was in a hurry to get them finished they were quilted with just a small spiral motif in the plain squares.

They looked nice, until the wear and tear on them (they were on the kitchen benches, after all, and see a lot of sitting and shuffling action) began to tell.  Seams started unravelling in the pieced blocks and despite my best efforts, chocolate and ketchup stains became permanent design additions.

It was time to take action.  Rather than replace them completely (after all, the wadding and backing were still sound) I decided on a makeover.

Ta-da!  Over the holiday I made two quilt tops - and this is the first one quilted onto the old quilt.  Firmer seams, more generous allowances, lots more quilting (just a stipple, nothing fancy!) and a lazy 'binding' that is just the front folded to the back and zig-zagged down.

They won't win prizes.  They don't need to.  It's just my kitchen and a few bottoms that need to appreciate the improvement!

Just one more quilting session, another binding session, and the second quilt will also be complete to make the whole run of benches a lot smarter.

What a great start to the autumn, and what a good use of my batik stash!