The 'Big Project' - the 30th Birthday Quilt

I can finally unveil the 'Big Project' that has been underway since mid-summer.

I have been beavering away on a quilt to celebrate my daughter's 30th birthday.

I didn't manage to complete it in time, but I could at least show her some photos of how it is progressing and give her an idea of how it will look when I finally finish it (the estimated time scale is now the end of October).

The pattern is a split 9-patch pattern (originally designed by Carolyn Forster) that was in the Fabrications quilt magazine a few years ago. 

Almost all the fabric has come from my stash with the exception of the black fabric used for the linking triangles.  I wanted the quilt to have some meaning for my daughter and by having a good search through what I had, I was able to use several pieces of fabric that connected her to family and her childhood. There's fabric left over from a sundress I made her when she was about three; some 'frog' fabric I made matching waistcoats for her and her brother when they were little; remnants from the dress I made her when her father remarried; material from a maternity dress I made when I was pregnant with her, and which I wore to her god-parent's wedding; fabric I salvaged from a dressing gown my mother made me many years ago; scraps left over from a dress she wore in a Youth Theatre production of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' (she played Jemima); left-overs from a pair of trousers I made her when she was about five; some parrot-pattered fabric I made a shirt for N from; and some fabric from a top I made when I was in my teens (yes, my stash is that old!!)  Mixed in with these odds and ends are fat-quarters I have collected over the years.  

It seems a long time ago (the end of June, actually) when I was sewing together half-square triangles - there were hundreds of them, or so it seemed!

Then came the lengthy process of piecing the squares into blocks, making sure I didn't have the same fabric next to each other.

I've had to enlist N's help on several occasions; a second pair of eyes was often needed to advise on colour combinations - there's a lot of patterns in this quilt!

I wanted to make a quilt with free machine quilting, something I've only recently attempted but which has such possibilities (and it's quicker than hand quilting ;-).  I've used a combination of meandering quilting on the dark squares and a feather pattern using a water-soluble marker pen on the lighter corners.

The free-machine quilted feathers show up well in this photo.  BTW, the central seam is not stitched, the two blocks are just laid side by side - I did match the seams better when it was stitched!

I'm using the 'quilt-as-you-go' method for assembling the quilt.  I've not actually done this before, but I have a reasonable idea of the theory behind it, I've read some good instructions and I'm having a go.  There's a lot of corners to match, so there has been quite a bit of unpicking and re-stitching of seams.  Although I am learning not to be a perfectionist, if I know I can do better, I have another go at it.  However, I am able to accept that sometimes 'as good as I can do' is good enough.

The top is comprised of 16 blocks, four strips of four.  At the moment I have sewn two of those strips together but I'm not happy with a couple of bits - the fabric seems a little 'puffy' in one or two places so I am unpicking those to have another go.  It's not difficult to do, just a bit fiddly.  However, as tomorrow is 'screen-free Sunday' I shall set myself the task of sorting those seams out without distraction.  I would like to get the top pieced by the end of next week.  Then I can start on the borders, which will be the black fabric I have already used for the linking triangles, and the 'Chitty' fabric.

The aim is to have this quilt finished by the end of October.

So today, I am thankful that I can sew.  I am thankful that my mother taught me the skills when I was young and that I still get great pleasure and satisfaction from sewing.

Changing the subject completely, N and I were amazed this morning when we looked out of the front window and saw a snow-plough!  I kid you not - a snow-plough in September.  And then, blow me if we didn't see another one this afternoon!  If that's not being prepared for the winter, I don't know what is.  The council is obviously not going to be caught out this year - when blizzards hit the Isle of Wight, we'll be ready for them.  LOL.