Moving onto hand quilting

I'm still only at the white centres of the block but am making good progress. Will it be finished to show of at the retreat? Who knows! It is good fun though and I am enjoying the meditative quality of this part of the process.

Blogger Quilt Festival 2011: my entry

I just recently finished this quilt for my father. It is made of 100% stash fabrics, a lot of them scraps from previous projects and material from two of his dress shirts. The binding once was a blouse. The pattern follows the fantastic

no-triangle zig zag tutorial by AmandaJean of CrazyMomQuilts.

I loved making this quilt for its simplicity and muted palette. Whenever I make a quilt for someone, I spend a lot of time thinking about them and our relationship and it helps me feel connected.

Needless to say, my dad was thrilled to receive this quilt and I get frequent reports from my mum about him using it.

Happy Mother's Day!

Done: Bassetti for Reingard

Done and ready to get shipped!

Another finish - almost

After I spent way too much time clearing out my sewing room and sorting a lot of things - down to my needles and beads - I set about finishing the quilt I made for my godmother's 75th birthday. One of her nicknames is "Hex'" (translates to witch) which is a rather apt choice for her personality. However where there is shadow, there's also light and if nothing else, she is devoted to her (extensive) family, sometimes to the point of disloyalty to her own cause. Three years ago, my mother, her little sister, had a near-fatal fall and my godmother dropped everything to rush to my mother's bedside, nursing her back to health for over ten weeks as well as running the household and tending to my dad. I am eternally grateful to her for this because I would not have known what else to do if it had not been for her.

Though a bit late, the quilt will make its journey to her at the end of the week. She spent well over a decade in Japan and while the pattern isn't exactly Japanese it is Asian and I am hoping that the colour will bring some light and enjoyment to her days.