It’s a brave new world…

Or so the world media re telling us, post-Brexit vote. If you are reading this in the United Kingdom, congratulations or commiserations, depending upon how you cast your vote. We all await the fallout with some trepidation.

Anyway, on to my recent quilting endeavours.

I have a finish to share. It is a quilt that was on my list for the 2016 QAL, and is one of my few finishes to date. I initially thought to turn this embroidered panel into a tablecloth or something similar for my MIL, but a friend’s recent diagnosis meant a change of plan was put in motion.

I picked up this panel from a secondhand shop in Foxton, Manawatu. It was in a frame, but I left with just the panel.

My friend was diagnosed with Breast Cancer over a year ago, and chose alternative medicine to fight it. The cancer has spread, and the outlook is not good.

It has been hard to support her, as my approach to sickness tends towards applying liberal doses of western medicine, supported by changes in lifestyle etc to support it. But the choices are hers, and so I completed this quilt to be given to her Church to be prayed over and gifted to her. I enclosed the panel in a floral fabric from my stash, but bought the green fabric from Spotlight for the final border and binding.

I kept the quilting to a minimum, since speed was of the essence. Just enough to keep it together.

The Prayer Quilt Co-ordinator arranged for a label on the back explaining the purpose of the quilt, and also how to wash and care for it.

This is my first finish for the second quarter, but I must admit it has been a painful quilt to finish. I still felt it was important to acknowledge the finish, if only to help me process what is going on.

Have a great weekend, wherever you are.

Linking up eventually with the 2016 FAL and Crazy Mom Quilts.

Advertisement

The shortest day

It’s been a while, I know. But my excuse is that I have been very busy. Or at least, quite busy, some of the time.

Today being the shortest day, I thought I would stop reading blogs, and tend to my own for just a few moments in between stitching. What has been happening here down the bottom of the globe?

Well, there has been fruit and vegetable picking with the Community Fruit Harvest scheme…

Picking Squash from a 50ha paddock of a cancelled export order in Bulls. We literally picked tonnes of squash.

Then there was our annual Tote and Gloat, an opportunity for our Quilt Guild members to show off the best of their previous years work. Being on the sub committee for events, this one kept me busy for a few days, plus I took one of my quilts out in public for the first time, ever!

That’s my first version of The Gypsy Wife in the middle of the picture.

Our speaker was Susan Brubaker Knapp, whose talk was very encouraging. Unfortunately I missed much of it, scurrying around behind the scenes as I was.

An entry from the Bra Arts exhibition shown at Tote and Gloat. The Lions run the annual competition to raise money for Breast cancer research. Yes, somewhere under all this, there is a bra!

After T&G, I spent a few weeks working on a new quilt for Daughter #2 (details to come) before running off to Taupo for a much needed break. I quilted for a few days, ran up to Hamilton for a quick trip to Moreland Fabrics, and best of all enjoyed not cooking or cleaning for an entire week. Unless you call pouring boiling water on 2 minute noodles cooking. Yes, I confess I ate three packets of instant noodles. I could only justify buying flash cafe food for so many nights. I promise I ate lots of fruit.

This is a “Cruffin”, a mix between a croissant and a muffin. Not necessarily something I would try again, but I didn’t have to cook it, or clean up the dishes afterwards, so therefore it qualifies as being good for me.

After arriving back I put aside quilting for a while to make cushions to go into the new, “improved” Arts Recycling Centre, re-opening in July. As a volunteer we haven’t had much (any?) input into the changes, but are hoping for the best. Unfortunately, it looks like my days of getting free quilt fabric from ARC are now over. It is shifting its emphasis to creating gallery and workshop space, rather than supplying low cost materials to schools and artists. Meanwhile the contents have been cleaned out in a series of large skip bins, a bit heartbreaking for the volunteers like my daughter.

The last few days I have turned to embroidery and hand quilting, in an effort to finish the My Small World quilt. I am using it as a sampler and trying to have some fun.

My first attempt at fern stitch. My second attempt isn’t much better, so I am thinking of it as “freeform” embroidery.

Playing with stitches…

At this rate it is going to take me a very, long, time. But never mind. It is mid-winter, the days are short, if strangely warm, and I have many movies to watch on Netflix, to distract me from my sore fingers.

See you soon, I promise.

Linking up eventually with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts.