Since the rain continued pelting down over the weekend, and the Hubbie was away doing flood-emergency-type-activities, I decided to help Daughter #2 clean up her work space.
It was not before time. We eat off our laps in front of the tv at night, and breakfast every day in bed, as her work space was once our Dining Room. Starting the day tucked up in bed with coffee, reading online news and quilting blogs is no real hardship. As a family we are quite accustomed to this, but having a flood-stranded guest for a couple of days bought home the message that “this is not how things are done”.
There is no other space for her, but I thought we could at least tidy up, organise, and maybe donate a few items that she no longer needs. Maybe there would then be a little space available, just so future guests could sit at the table (while we ate in front of the tv as per usual).
So far we have sorted a box of fabric for recycling, and I have been donated her UFO’s. I’m not sure how that came about, but I admit I am loathe to let some of her work go by way of the recycling bin. So I may have volunteered for some it, my memories on the subject are vague.
As an avid reader of Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series for 30 years, I just couldn’t let her throw out the dragon. Unfortunately she has no idea where she got the image from, so my apologies to the artist. She dyed the fabric, pieced it, then traced and sewed the dragon image. Then came watercolour pencils, and textile medium. At that stage, she lost interest. I think the edges just need finishing, so this one won’t take long. I might grab it for my studio walls.
The fairy is just too pretty to throw out. This was made during her brief paper piecing stage, which lasted long enough to create two Christmas presents, and a bookshelf quilt (unfinished). It’s a free pattern from Tartan Kiwi, who does some amazing work. It was pieced on a mixture of Art Gallery and Cotton Couture fabric, and I have a fat quarter of the Art Gallery fabric (Bloomerie in Nectarine) myself. It is still available from Hawthorne Fabrics, so I have the option of getting more fabric if required. I could turn the fairy into a very cute NICU quilt for our guild, or do something bigger. Personally I couldn’t bear to see it spit up on, so I think it will go bigger. I have plenty of older nieces who would love it.
I think a trail of stars across a background of yellow pieced squares might do the trick. I have checked out star tutorials, such as this one which gives instructions for a range of sizes, from On the Windy Side, but I think appliqué might also work. Any suggestions?
There was some high-loft batting too, but the cats dragged that off the donation pile, and now fight for the privilege of sitting on it in front of the fire.
The final UFO’s are all bigger, and are finished tops that she has no interest in quilting herself. I don’t know whether to push her to complete them, or recognise that quilting a twin sized quilt on her domestic machine will probably set off her CFS/ME, so I might as well just resign myself to the task.
She offered to pay, so I might work for chocolate. Good, expensive, chocolate.
It has finished raining and we have two days of sunshine forecast, so I shall go forth and concentrate on laundry and Vitamin D acquisition. Have a good week.
quilts across the aisle 