posted by Lily on quilts

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Sometimes the only way to tidy up the dreadful mess that seems to creep over every surface and floor in the sewing shed, is to sew my way through it!  Last night, whilst sorting bits and bobs into the new dresser, I found this wee converse box.

I shook it – it was so light and there was no sound, yet another empty box I’ve kept for god knows why – chuck!  Oops – better look inside first.

Hah!  The beginnings of yet another quilt!  Fabric bought in … 2007?  At a quilt fair on the Gold Coast with Carolann.  From a wee shop in Lismore that specialised in Japanese fabric.  Look at that – hundreds of narrow strips.  Some sewn up, most not.  I laid out what was stitched.  Reassessed.  Set off again.

There are plenty more dark blue and pale blue strips, but no more red and I know from long experience that trying to match that red … not worth the fretting and time.  So this is the finished design!  I thought about adding sashing – which would make it into a Chinese Coin layout – but after laying the strips side by side, and looking at it from afar – I like the woven look.  Reminds me of the matting I grew up with in Malaysia.  Yep.  This will do fine.

And a glorious cream and red linen fabric with these dear little farmhouses, trees and sheep.  One strip for the bottom, a wider one for the top.   Mmmm ….

Pinned onto a blanket scrap.  Of course :-)

And quilted with some lovely King Tut – the blue is intact, the red a bit chewed, but the white – it’s so chewed, I have to unravel it by hand half way across each width otherwiseit catches on the chewed bits and seizes up.  I didn’t chew it – nor did Sweetpea – it was dear old Toph.  As I sew and flip and sew and flip, so many sweet and lovely stories of Toph run through my mind.  And then, more than a year on, I feel the lump hardening in my throat and my eyes burn with tears.  I guess this quilting will be a sweet little tribute to that funny little dodgy dachshund we so adore and miss.

Alas, it is a Wednesday so this is as far as I got with this bit of sewing shed tidying up.  Soooooooooo close!

It’s very long isn’t it.  It’s a “Door Quilt” – to hang on Abby’s bedroom door.

She doesn’t know.  I don’t think she or this fabric have ever even met.  I’ll leave it here on her chair for when she comes home  And tomorrow – binding.  A quilt will be finished and the sewing shed will be a teeny weeny bit emptier.  That’s a relief :-)