I finished the purple and black
quilt. At first, I basted together the quilt layers gingerly, conscious that I should have asked
Mum for help, and feeling rather worried that the whole thing was a disaster. But then I realised it was actually quite enjoyable to work on something so big for a change- and I really liked being able to spread it out on the floor and walk around it to work. (Thank you, lovely big house.) The front of the quilt features mostly fabrics from my
scrap-suitcase, in creams and purples. The backing is a block-printed panel from East Africa. I loved the print so much, I wanted to use it all in one piece. I used another of these panels to make my sister
a dress at the beginning of the year, so there were a few remnants left from that project. I used a couple of pieces in the patchwork, including some hand-applique and quilting on one patch. What I loved about using that printed panel, was that it encouraged me to try using different colours from what I normally might. I need to be more free with my use of colour, I think.
I made Keira
this patchwork blanket when I was pregnant with her- and she still takes that to bed with her each night. But on our way back to NZ last month, something sad happened. We stayed overnight at a hotel in Oslo, because our flight to London left early in the morning. We were in quite a hurry to get to the airport the next morning, and didn't look inside the children's beds before we left the hotel. Just as we were about to board the plane on our 45-hour journey, Keira asked for Pinky, her teddy, and her blanket. And that's when we realised we'd left them behind. Luckily, she was brave about it and settled for a polar bear from the Oslo airport gift shop and the promise of a new 'blankie' from me upon our return. But then just as I had finished making this quilt top, we received a parcel from the hotel containing Pinky and the fern quilt. Thank you, Thon Hotel! Now she is a well-quilted child.