My first win is this Mourning Crosses Quilt, a design by Kathy Tracy which was the January (monthly) challenge! It spent a couple of weeks with the long arm quilter and now it has its binding on, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!!
The border fabric was chosen after several hours of intense deliberation at my favourite quilt shop, I just love this fabric!!!!
If you love small quilts you can join Kathy's online group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smallquilttalk/
or you can check out her blog here: http://sentimentalquilter.blogspot.com/
I didn't get time to do the February challenge but I have completed the one for March. It features little Civil War Basket blocks (4"x 4") from Kathy's book 'Remembering Adelia'. I decided not to make the quilt exactly, but did a variation.
This was such fun to put together, I also used up lots of small off-cuts from previous projects, that's always a good thing!!!! No fancy quilting, just stitch in the ditch, but around the handles I did do some handquilting which gives a gentler look than the machine could do!!
I had been doing a little shopping in a few of the local antiques/old wares shops in town when I spied something I have been wanting for a long time. I simply couldn't resist it and when I got it home it told me it wanted its own little mini quilt - how could I say no to this old lady!!!
This long yearned for item is called a Flat Sad Iron! It weighs around 3lbs, is 6 1/8" long x 4 1/4" wide and has a Steel Tube handle.
I'm not sure where it was made, but they were used widely by the early settlers here in Australia. Apparently these particular irons ranged in size from 4-9, mine is size 7. From what I can gather the 'sad' part of their name actually means heavy, so all heavy irons are known as 'sad' irons, where they have been recorded to exist as far back as the 16th century.
So to help my little Flat Sad Iron feel much happier, she now has her own little quilt!!!!
I had a play on EQ and designed this where the CW Basket blocks are 2"x 2". She's now smiling!!!!!!
You may remember in my previous post that I made my last CW block the wrong size at 6"x 6" (finished)instead of 8"x 8", obviously the flu had gotten into my brain as well LOL! but with a clearer head last week I managed to get it the right size this time!!!
The tape measure is there as proof I got it right!! You'll be pleased to hear that the 6" block has found a home! One of my friends is doing the Farmer's Wife blocks which are all 6"x 6", she had a bit of trouble with one of hers so I offered mine as a substitute which she very happily took home to add to the blocks she has already completed. Whew! it's no longer an orphan!!!!
I have another near completion so this is just a sneak peek!!!
It has languished since November 2010! oh dear!!!!! It'll have it's binding on very soon, and then I can show you another completed UFO!!
We are starting to feel the cooler temperatures of Autumn which is quite refreshing after all the humidity and rain we've had during our rather lack lustre summer, this should give you some clue about the sneak peek!!!
Thankyou for dropping by, I hope wherever you are you are safe and well and enjoying the change of the season be it Spring or Autumn!!!
Take it easy,
Merilyn
