Monday, February 02, 2015

 I was appalled to realise that I only quilted one quilt for myself last year, in November, and I didn't even bind it so it couldn't really be counted as  finished. Last Saturday I decided that I was going to get it done, inspired by JulieKQuilts, who is having a Binding Blitz this year. I have about seven other quilts that need binding, so I'm hoping that I clear the backlog once and for all.

When I hung the quilt up in the workroom to take a photo, I said to Keryn "It's only taken 28 years to finish this!". I was pregnant with my youngest son, who is 27 now, when I started these blocks, inspired by a quilt in a Ladies Circle Quilts magazine. (Gosh I miss that, it was a treasure trove of antique and vintage quilts)
My  blocks were pieced with larger squares and weren't as complicated as the original, which I'd still like to copy, now that I look at it. My blocks were all hand-pieced, and I had a huge number of cream squares cut, which I intended to set the blocks with. What a lot of set-in seams that would have been, but I honestly don't mind hand work. What stalled me was that the material was Actil sheeting, and I just couldn't bring myself to use poly fabric with all the cotton patchwork fabric.  I was so poor at the time I didn't have enough good quality cream to use, so the project sat and was forgotten.

When I got the blocks out and looked at them again a couple of years ago, I decided to set in triangles around the edges of the blocks and sash them, a mammoth undertaking, and I resorted to sewing the last few blocks on the machine. The fabrics are so old and dated, I really didn't care about them anymore, I just wanted them Done!

I set them with a tan fabric because they were such weird old colours nothing else seemed to tone with them, and then added  some chunks of fabric at either end to make it longer. I'm not really happy with the effect, but it will be used on my bed with Pippi sleeping on or under it, so it doesn't really matter. I'll have a new quilt on the bed this winter, huzzah!

This morning in my postie role I was delivering an armful of  parcels, and wrestled with a clunky homemade latch on the gate. I was horrified when it took an absolute chunk out of my finger - I know the letterboxes that are going to bite me and treat them cautiously, but this took me unawares. There was a horrid white scoop completely taken out of my index finger, and as it filled up with blood I thought "I won't be able to use a rotary cutter now...." I left a trail of blood drips up the path and all over the verandah, and the owner rushed and got a handful of tissues and a bandaid for me. I'm going to have to soak this off and replace it with a proper dressing soon, which is going to be quite painful, but I can't leave this on.The worst thing is that I was in the middle of a glorious spree of scrap cutting and kitting some new blocks, and I'll have to wait until I can put pressure on this finger before I can go back to it. And I won't be doing any customer quilts while it's so sore. Grrr!
Not to mention that I can't type without many many errors, thank goodness for tha backspace key!


4 comments:

julieQ February 02, 2015  

Hurrah for your finish! Love those pretty colors. I am so sorry for your finger!

Rose Marie February 06, 2015  

Ouch .... that finger will set you back a bit.

Absolutely love what you did with this quilt and love the chunky border!

Lynn Dykstra February 13, 2015  

Ladies Circle Quilts was a wonderful magazine--I miss it too! Nothing before or since comes close. I love your quilt.

Tazzie February 22, 2015  

Ouch, I hope your finger heals quickly, that looks really painful!
Hugs
Tazzie
:-)

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