Finishes

It's been a while. In fact, so long, I have two quilts finished.

Firstly, the proverbial quilt featuring the lyrics from one of my favourite The [Dixie] Chicks songs. Coincidentally, the words kind of go with the big lockdown of 2020 when I put this one together.

Being shot cotton and hand quilted with a wool batting, it is super soft. While I remember, this quilt contains little bits of 'other' blue gingham, as seen in the G above, given to me by my Gran's cousin. She passed away in March 2020.

Even more recently, like this weekend, I have also finished my other big make started in February last year - the Free Wheeling Single Girl quilt.

It's a big one. About two metres x two metres. Again it is hand quilted with a wool batting. I splashed out on a wide backing for the first time. It weighs a tonne. This one is destined for my cousin. The first on my Mum's side to turn 50. 

I like both of these quilts very much.

Proverbial Quilt Quilting Progress

If truth be told, I would like to crosshatch this quilt! It is my favourite for the look and feel, but there are too many 'bits' like the letters that would break up the cross hatching. So my plan is to outline the letters with a dark-ish blue (EZ12) and the do some straight-ish katha-ish lines using a variegated blue threat (EZM97). So far, ok.

I look forward to getting stuck into this in the school hols which start at the end of the week. I have been tired for a week despite sleeping really well. Had my first Saturday afternoon sleep in month last Saturday and then I realised, it was nearly the end of term. It feels like the time we have been back since lockdown has flown by. But the last three weeks, have been mad with one thing after another and they've all been things that not been resolved quickly. I am hoping for a simpler Term 3.

Days 30 and 31 | The Proverbial Quilt

Run, meeting, school work, reading, school work.

Walk, sewing.

Thanks to a surprising and speedy Spotlight delivery my proverbial quilt top is done. And it won a prize this week in the quiltalong. Got to be happy with that. I love the blue shot cotton and I love the navy gingham. I also like the use of the other blue backgrounds. I think without that variety, it would be a bit ordinary. I also threw two other fabrics into my letters half a dozen times. The first is the last of my favourite navy floral liberty. The second was some fabric I was given five or six years ago by my Gran’s cousin. She passed away a week before we went into lockdown after about three weeks of health issues at the age of 95. She was the last of that generation and had an amazing memory. I will miss her family history knowledge. Because of the timing, there was no funeral other than her church minister and the funeral director. She and her late husband have been very generous to a lot of local charities and organisations, so we look forward to a memorial service later in the year when we can recognise her life and contributions. She also gave me her delicious sewing scissors when she gave me the fabric and other notions. So I now call my scissors Leonora after her.

I found a lovely blue floral folded on the shelf for the backing. It is the perfect length and width for this quilt’s backing with only about six inches to spare down one side. And I hand sewed some wool batting together for the inside. The basting process gave me a two hour hamstring and hip stretch. So that was also a winner.

I have ordered thread but won’t allow myself to start quilting this one until I finished the woolly mammoth. I would like to get as much done as I can over the next two days on the woolly mammoth as I head back to school on Tuesday. Although, I did buy a new pattern this morning and have pulled fabric off the shelf for it, so I may get distracted by that!

PS No ideas for quilting really. I wonder about something kantha-y?

PPS Thanks to the Dixie Chicks for the lyrics 👍

Day 19 | Easter Monday

Rain, ginger slice, the proverbial quilt, reading, siesta, the woolly mammoth, zoom with Monday Modern Quilters.

Day 14 | Same, Same.

Run, school work, quilt, school work, quilt.

Just the Usual | Days 10 and 11

Quilt making, reading, exercising. Just the usual.

The Proverbial Quilt | Day 9

I feel I have been very unproductive today. I think I woke up too early, 5:20-something, and that’s thrown my whole day off.

I started with a run. I got to 4km, but not how I thought I would. I thought I would get there running further, to the roundabout, on the road I have been running on for the last week. I turned at the roundabout and as I got closer to home, I was waiting for the 4km to buzz on my Garmin, but it didn’t. I had to run another 50 metres or so past the house! When it buzzed, I stopped and walked the 50 back home again. All I can think now is that 5km will go forever and I will need to add another long flat road, or perhaps add a block lap in. Or I might just call it done at 4km.

Anyway, then did Metafit later in the morning. Then sat outside and read some more of my kindle book The Giver of Stars. I just finished reading The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek earlier in the week which is also about horse librarians. The Troublesome Creek book has more to it than my current read. Bowlaway might be my next purchase.

I forgot. I also went to the local dairy this morning to buy milk ... and an ice cream for pudding - since I was there. They have a one out and one in thing going on. I was fourth in line and had maybe a 10 minute wait. There were about six bottles of milk left at 11am, I don’t know what time they opened, but am very grateful they are. I reckon I have at least another four days before I will brave a supermarket visit. The chemist, a few shops down, had a queue of about 10 people. So also on my grateful list today is good health. It would suck to be ill at this time. It must be adding lots of stress to life.

Made a couple of words for my quilt and then had a siesta.

The Drunk Wool Quilt | Day 8

This might be the slowest quilt in the history of the world. I finished the top in 2012. I basted it July 2019. Discovered that with batting, it was too thick to quilt. April 2020, lockdownlevelfour-time, I was excited to un-baste it and re-baste it with just a flannel backing. I love having hand sewing on the go. It's nice being able to sit in the afternoon with a bit of Netflix to slow quilt. Hopefully, the pink thread will get me through the 16 circles.

And here's today's word from the other project I have on the go -