posted by Lily on quilts

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There was a trickle of sun this morning … there it goes … fluttering across the silvered wood of the side fence.  And then it was gone.   Never mind … there were piles of fabric on hand, a hard rubbish thrifted Sylvanian house to scrub (can you believe it!  a dolls house worth about $180 skewif amongst someone’s hard rubbish! ) and new Sylvanian critters to arrange.

Buried amidst this pile is a wee quilt I started almost two years ago – the day before Auntie Cate and Uncle Mick arrived to test out our spare -oom.  The strips were bundled together higgledy piggledy and shoved into a cupboard.  Now, having rediscovered them last Friday when I was frantically searching for a 3 by 2 1/2 inch piece of blue spotty fabric for Caleb’s quilt, it is time to stitch it up and add some borders.

Eeeeeee!  It looks so pretty!  The original idea was to make a table runner with only the squares and circles.  I remember sitting out in the sewing shed one cold and damp June night using my smaller machine to applique around the circles.  But, despite loving so many of the fabrics in it, it just never quite tickled my fancy.  Then, come October, I found that terrific green and blue floral at Amitie … it sent me flying back 35 years to sitting underneath the huge cutting out table with my sister and a plate of hot rock cakes at my Nanny’s curtain making shop in Leeton.  One of her favourite fabrics – of which she had rolls and rolls – looked just like it.  It was turned into curtains and cushion covers and all manner of household items.  I brought this cousin home with other intentions but once I laid it amongst my garden of circles, I knew what it’s purpose was.

However, there was a small need for a few more small lengths of fabric for borders … so it was off to the fabric store.  After rescuing the bread dough that is.  Yes, Lucy (Mum’s dog, who we are babysitting) SAT on it towards the end of its second rise.  Well wouldn’t you!  It was soft, squishy, covered with a soft cloth, warming atop the heating vent in a cosy corner near the bathroom door, and it smelt good.  Of course she sat on it!  Oy!

Despite my best resuscitation efforts, it didn’t quite recover.  Oh well, it tastes fine!

Home again, home again and I have me some more gorgeous Denise Schmidt fabric.  I do so love this range and am so looking forward to the new stuff that is apparently arriving very soon.  Yum!

On went the borders … I must confess to being a little like Mozart with my borders … that’s not a grand claim is it!  You know how you come towards the end of a piece of his music and it begins to finish and you think it has … but not quite … then there’s another flourish and a giggle and you think ah here’s the finish … but not quite … and then he races around the room again, throws his hands up into the air and you think it’s finished now … but not quite … and finally, exhausted, he throws himself into a chair and yes that’s it!  That’s the way I see my quilts.  I add a border and think oh that’s nice.  Aha!  This colour would look lovely with it too, and on it goes.  And then I look at those straight lines and think, actually, it needs something with a bit of intricacy – a flourish – and on go more borders.  Yes, that’s what’s happened here folks :-)  The only thing that slows me down is the thought of squashing all that quilt through the sewing machine when it’s time to quilt!

As for this border … well, as I sewed up my initial strips and added the borders, it began to sing to me of a garden.  An allotment really.  You know the kind they have in England … like a community farm at the end of a street where local families have a plot.  They may grow their nightly vegies, their favourite blooms, or prize winning carrots.  They have wee sheds and fences.  I love this idea … I first saw it in my favourite all time film, Hope and Glory.  Now Hugh’s championing their cause and I think they’re terrific.

:: look here!  Sacha’s knitting!  Yes indeed, she chose some lovely Noro yesterday, I found here some needles and set her off … she swears she’s addicted ::

So here’s my Allotment Quilt … full of earth and colour and energy and life.  Surrounded by wee folk, hedges of camillias down each side and a wonderfully bright fence, covered with trailing vines and flowers that calls out to people passing, come look, this here garden is loved and treasured.

Mind you, as I look at it now, it could also be a railroad track.  Mmmm ….

Now, once again, the light is dreadful – I mean, you couldn’t possibly tell that the floral fabric along the bottom left there is PINK and RED could you!  So I promise to take this quilt outside tomorrow for a good showing in the sun.  That’s if we have any.  We’re bound too … just for a few minutes … winter does like to tease us so.