Friday, October 24, 2014

I have laboured mightily and brought forth a - little quilt


Well, Thimbleanna, you thought it would never happen, did you? Yes, I've at last finished the cot quilt that you sent me in kit form. Ta-da! I did have to cut out lots of little bits of material, sew them together (some of them several times till I got it right) and then go on lots of holidays between various of the stages. Then I decided to ignore the quilting instructions and do my own thing (seemed like a good idea at the time), including doing a wavy ribbon design on the border which was a TREMENDOUS fiddle. 


But it's done; and approved by the Quilt Inspector. You'll be pleased to hear that the Furry Quilt Inspector also thought it was... ok (shrug) ... though she moved off it guiltily when I went to get my camera. 


There are no babies in the offing and the current babies have their own cot quilts. So I'll hang on to it till I can think of someone to give it to.


 Perversely, I think my favourite fabric is the one on the back.


Lynley in Australia seems to manage to sew a quilt per week - I am barely exaggerating - http://lynleyquilts.blogspot.co.uk/ - but one a year seems to be my rate of progress. I have no idea what I do the rest of the time; but it seems to fill up my days.

Just like five-year-old who looks scornfully at a four-year-old ("What a baby!") - I now look at my simple Christmas quilt from last year and think - ah, that must have been easy. Though at the time... .


So thank you so much, Anna, for forcing me to try something slightly more complicated (though it was all just squares and rectangles. Not really complicated).

What next? I've acquired a small stash of fabrics that I bought just because I liked them... a slippery slope, I'm sure... and of course I have some Christmas material left over from last year. But I think it'll all have to wait, since I certainly don't have time to do anything much before this Christmas. Lynley will make another six or seven intricate quilts by then; Anna will produce one or two quilts, also of amazing complication and beauty; I shall possibly get the garden tidied up and a bake couple of cakes. Each to her own.


10 comments:

  1. Congratulations. It's a lovely quilt.
    Never forget we all started at the beginning and all work at our own pace.

    Did you not realise that we quilters ALL have a little stash of fabrics that we bought Just because we liked them?

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  2. Oh please, you know I'm just quilting to fill in my time before I have grandchildren:) Your quilt is really lovely and the quilting is beautiful!!! It is vastly superior in every way to my first quilt ...

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  3. Wow - kudos on the lovely quilt! Isn't it great to sit back and look at a finished craft and be able to show it to everyone? And then cuddle up under it and read a good book? YAY!

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  4. Anonymous8:00 pm

    Very well done! I have never managed to finish my quilt.

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  5. Will you stop right now? It's finished and it looks wonderful, Lynley was probably a finish one in a year sort of quilter when she started. You're not anywhere near Cockburn Street, are you? Just reading about The Incident......do hope not.

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  6. I think you have done quite a lovely job on your Quilt! You have every reason to be pleased with it.
    I currently have 3 or 4 quilts in hibernation... at various degrees of in-completeness... waiting for me to be in the mood to work with them again! Maybe January, since I am currently working on knitting projects for Christmas!

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  7. You are too funny. I LOVE the title of your post -- classic Isabelle humor!

    And I LOVE your new little quilt. It looks fantastic! And Hand Quilted!!!! Hand quilting takes a long time. I'm so pleased that you took that little kit and finished it -- with no babies on the horizon here, it was languishing in my stash. Maybe this little quilt can be for the babies to enjoy when they come to your house? IMHO, a child can never have too many quilts -- if nothing else, they need them to make tents around the living room furniture!

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  8. I tried quilting once. Still have the unfinished bits in a box somewhere, 30 years later. You're doing fine and it looks lovely!
    Love your post title, too

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  9. I am incredibly impressed! That is an adorable quilt! I have not completed any successful, pretty quilts (without the help of my quilting mother...) ever. Nice work! :)

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  10. What do you do with your time ? That's simple ... spend it with the grandchildren of course .
    When they're as enchanting as yours and as close to hand , why would you do anything else ?

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