February OMG Unteraegeri Log Cabin Quilt

The project I selected for February’s One Monthly Goal (OMG) challenge is this Unteraegeri Log Cabin quilt. I want to finish the quilting then bind it. This UFO has to be about 25 years old! The pattern is from a Quilt Sitters’ Circle group at Hearthside Quilters Nook in Hales Corner, WI. That shop has been closed for years but I still have a few UFOs from them. This log cabin quilt variation, designed by Mary Ellen Hopkins, was inspired by a trip she took to Unteraegeri, Sweden. We were a test group for this particular pattern but I don’t think she ever formally published it.

This quilt has always been a favorite of mine and you might wonder why I’ve let it go unfinished for so long. When I first started quilting (way back in the 1980’s), I took almost every class I could find. Not only did I start dozens of class projects, I also started projects of my own that were inspired by these classes. I wanted to learn all I could about technique, design and color. Finishing the project wasn’t as important as the learning process. Hundreds of great ideas in my head became hundreds of UFOs!

After 30 years of quilting, there’s not much left to learn. It’s time to finish some of these old projects and find good homes for them. I might keep this one for awhile though since it carries such good memories.  Mary Ellen Hopkins was such an inspiration to me and I learned so much from her. Even though she didn’t teach this class, I took many, many classes from her and she was always a bundle of energy and a true pioneer in the resurgence of quilting. Even though she’s been gone for over five years, I still thank her for lighting that fire in me.

Head over to Elm Street Quilts to check out other February OMG projects. Be sure to comment on a few to cheer those quilters to a finish!