Biting off more than one can chew....

Morning Ladies,

Today I want to share with you one of my previous projects.

Several years ago when I got serious about learning to sew, I even then wanted to make clothes but was too intimidated by my lack of sewing machine knowledge, button holes, zips and patterns etc. So I started patchwork, thinking well it's just straight lines, I can do that. One summer I had the bright idea of making my daughters and my friends daughters a quilt each for Christmas.

I already had lots of quilting books so browsing and much tea later had picked something I liked the look of. Went fabric shopping and started on my first quilt top. And to this day it still remains a quilt top.

Why,
because it's just so damn big. I didn't realize as I happily sewed triangles to make squares and squares to make strips. Until I put the strips together. Oh my.

The quilt top.

Yep it's hugh.

close up of patterned fabric

Detail close up of corner, very chuffed on how these came out. It was my first go at triangles.

Arn't the embroibered butterflys cute. No I didn't do them they were already on the ginham. which is on the center planel and the border.

The reason I am posting this blog about the massive UFO is because as I am sorting ready to have my sewing room roof replaced I came across it. So now as I still don't feel confident on handling that much fabric. It is not going to be quilted in the traditional way of wadding and backing. I was just going to back it with fleece. It's on it's way to my friend's sister, who is an experenced curtain maker, who will do the backing and so the recepitant can finally have her Christmas present and I promise to get around making the other 3 quilts for the young ladies. However experence has taught me they will be much smaller quilts.

As for my son, there is no quilt planned for him. I did ask him even though I knew what his reply would be. "I'd rather have the usual computer games. My bed has a perfectly adequate quilt, but thanks anyway." 

How about you whats your UFO stash like. I have many more waiting and yep I am good at starting projects but have a pleathora of quilt tops waiting.  



 

Previous makes, part 1

I thought for a change I would show case some of my previous works, many pics are lost due to the red wine, laptop inicdent of New Year 2010/11. So I dont have them all, as some were gifts and others were orders for customers,

 This is a design you may see crop up often, I do enjoy making these. This particular one was a present for my Mother. It is a lap quilt approximatly 1 metre square, made in mock cathedral window patchwork. The plain background is just calico, i like using this because of its sturdy texture and the flocks of beige cotton.

  

The small central piceces are a vintage fabric I bought cicra early 1990's and even then I could tell it was old. I bought a bag of offcuts from a charity shop and these were part of it. the outline quilting is a verigated thread, it does not show up very well in the photographs but was actually quite effective.

My Mother was pleased with her quilt (she would most certainly have told me if she didn't like it, not in a horrible way, but she knows I'd would rather give her something she would enjoy than something that wasn't her style.)