Thanks for the kind comments, I woke up today feeling pretty darn good! My machine (Cranky Bernie) was chugging along like a champ and it was pretty easy going. I delivered the top along with the binding to the next lady in line yesterday. Another one is working on the label and we hope to be ready for Tuesday.
Our group member who usually does the quilting, she lost her husband at the end of last year. Janice, who gets this quilt, she is the next quilter in line -- and she usually does a serpentine grid of some sort because it is such an easy and practical solution and so is sort of a recognition to her as well as being within my skill set.
Many of the fabrics in the top are true vintage, some repro. Others are just things she likes like cats and flowers or she does appreciate some plaid in her life! Like me, she spent part of her girlhood in Alaska (goes with the planes) and the border fabric was picked with that in mind. The sashing goes from dark to light and was a color bars fabric so all shades were on one yardage.
Most of the group are mom-aged to me, most of them appreciate vintage fabric. For a long time I collected vintage fabrics and I can tell you -- they are a lot more scarce now than they were 20 years ago. Is hard to imagine that true feed/flour sacks are almost 100 years old when you've lived most of those years
Anyway, that was just a lucky thrift store find, about 6 yards of perfectly stored, perfect condition 36" fabric -- no musty smell, glorious feel and drape both pre- and after washing. There was just so barely enough! Maybe 4 inches total cut off top/bottom, and just 2 inches from the sides.
I like the saying I got from these boards -- some people are just not quilt worthy. Janice is quilt worthy but vintage fabric worthy too.
edit: and yes, I matched the grid of the backing fabric in the seams! Wasn't hard to do but I should have actually counted the little tiles first, had a jog in one piece that made those narrow widths more noticeable.