Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Handmade Laura Ashley Quilt

It's much cooler in Sydney this week so we have brought out the snugly home made quilts and throws.


This quilt below was a long time in the making.  I started the patchwork when I was 17 out of some Laura Ashley scraps my mother gave me.  For some reason (probably that I was a teenager with the beach and boys and some study on my mind) I didn't finish it.  20 years later I found it all carefully stored in a box and finished it.  At the time I was pregnant with my son, so my mother had it quilted for me.  My mum is an amazing quilter herself (I'll share some of her quilts later) and she was going to quilt this for me but at the time her husband was dying so she paid for someone else to quilt it for me. It's done in a multicoloured thread and at first I was very unsure about it but I love it now.
It is all hand sewn for the patch work. I cut out little square and triangles in cardboard. I then folded, ironed and tacked the material onto the cardboard and then sewed the pieces together. This is a very simple method of hand sewing a patchwork piece and a great way to teach kids to patchwork.


I used wool batting inside the quilt so it's very snugly and warm.  This normally is on my daughter's bed but I've photographed it on our bed so you can see it properly.


Our bedroom walls look quite purple in these photos but they are more a pale blue/lilac. It's Northern Star by Taubmans.
  The painting above our bed is one I did of all the amazing buildings in Prague.  It doesn't live above my bed normally but I'm in the process of changing the paintings around.
 The back of the quilt is a blue fabric with a delicate floral pattern. (sorry for the bad iPhone photo, my camera battery dies as I was taking these photos)
A close up of my little white hand stitches
I'm so proud of my younger self for starting this quilt. I am actually quite surprised that I even did this and was so neat and careful as a teenager. 


Do you quilt? Have you come back to a project many years later? Amazed by something you did as a child? - please share!


cheers 
Fiona

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7 comments:

  1. oh well done on finishing it! the fact that it has been years in the making, makes it all the more special. i recently made a huge raggy quilt using vintage sheets and fabrics- something i have wanted to do for many years, just never quite got there! it now displays on the spare bed in our study :)
    Kate x

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    1. Thanks Kate, it's like a gift from my younger self! Good on you for finishing yours. It's lovely to have home made items in your home, isn't it?

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  2. Fiona the quilt is amazing. Sandy x

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    1. Thanks Sandy, I'll have to share the ones my mum and aunt have made and also a lovely quilt I made when sasha was a newborn. Gosh she was a good baby. What new mother starts and finishes a quilt in the first 6 weeks.

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  3. Hi Fiona,
    this is my first time here and can I just say, what a beautiful quilt! How lovely that you started it when you were younger and kept it.
    I am off to have a little look around :)

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  4. I just love a hand made quilt and all the time and love it represents. Yours is just beautiful! Your hand stitching is just amazing, especially since you were so young. It has got to be so satisfying to have it finished after all the years!

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    1. thanks Lynn, handmade quilts sure do represent a lot of time and love. I sleep at night under one my mum made for me and i feel very loved by her when i think of her making it for me.
      thanks for commenting. have a good week
      cheers Fiona

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