Celtc Solstice Going Home

My lovely friend came to collect her quilt yesterday.

She shared this photo that her husband took of us 

and wrote this:

"This incredibly beautiful quilt (measuring 118" x 118") was made for us by our wonderful friend Karol-Ann, who lives in the village where Euan was born. It is a Celtic design and the colours represent purple for the thistle of Scotland, gold for California, red for the roof of the converted Methodist chapel we lived in (in North Yorkshire, England) when Euan was born and green for the Evergreen State of Washington - all the places we have lived since Euan was born. It is a total treasure - a unique representation of such a special part of our lives. Thank you for this labour of love Karol-Ann! Can't wait to take it back to our bedroom in Brentwood."

The best gift a quilter you can ever give a quilter

is a love of your labour.

Thanks Evelyn!!

Safe travels back home.

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt Photos

As always I took far too many photos 

and then couldn't decide which ones showed off the quilt best...

So here follows a photo-overload of the finished quilt.

Thanks to Bonnie Hunter for a great pattern 

and to my friends Evelyn and Jim for wanting a quilt

so much that I got off my 

stiff and painful rear and made it 

while waiting for my plate removal operation...

Phew!

Next week I go into hospital

for a plate removal from my femur. 

Knowing that I'll be on crutches for 6 weeks

meant that I was severely motivated to finish this quilt...

And with the help of the whole family,

and 2 solid days of quilting,

it's done!

Just the binding now...

Thank you Bonnie for another great Mystery!

On the Longarm

On the Longarm at last...

First row done...

about 10 more to go!

*****

A  slow drive from my studio to town. 

Slow, but so scenic.

*****

 A walk in the sunshine

with my Sister-in-law the other day...

*****

 Taking a new friend to visit the village phonebox...

BIG Backing

This morning I went to my LQS (Local Quilt Shop)

and bought the backing and binding fabric for

my Celtic Solstice Mystery.

Here is the quilt top laid out,

but still folded in half on the lovely big tables at

Quilting Antics in Settle.

After much ummming and ahhing and

quilt maths, I decided on a nice pale yellow swirl for the back 

and a brighter diagonal stripey yellow for the binding..

Decisions were not easy,

but at least Miss Kalico was kept busy

making fuzzy faces...

...and drawing and cutting.

(Cutting in a quilt shop you say!! 

It was scary, but she was well behaved ish! lol)

And here I am, about to fold up the quilt top.

*****

Here's a parting shop of Miss Kalico

in the dress I made her.

Playing with buttons. 

I remember fondly playing with my Mother's button box.

And here's the back of the dress.

Only about the 3rd time, I've done buttonholes,

but phew! they worked!

A Story in Pictures

Here are a few(!) pictures

from my tablet to show what I've been up to 

over the last few months...

 

Baking, quilting, kids..

pretty much sums things up!