Firsts

In the course of packing  I came across a couple of things that I thought I would share with you. This is the first quilt I ever made! Excuse the dodgy photo, the weather is awful and there are boxes everywhere which are not conducive to good photos. I made this "beauty" about 7 or 8 years ago. I don't remember using a pattern so I think I must have made it up as I went along...sounds like me :) The prints are flower fairies in peach, maroon and pale blue...yep...shakes head... what was I thinking?!! On the strength of this quilt we had to redecorate Jess' pink bedroom to something more neutral. Hubby was not impressed having only decorated 6 months previously. The border fabric is also on the left hand side of the quilt it just doesn't show up as the quilt is mis-shapen. Lesson number one: quilting through all layers of quilt is essential for stability!

Here's a closer peak at the fabrics. Don't judge me for the wonky seams and p*ss poor hand-quilting :)

I topped the quilt with a panel of this fabric which I painstakingly hand-embellished in embroidery floss. 

I guess I shouldn't be so harsh on myself, it was after all my first ever quilt and Jess still loves it even if it does now live in a drawer. I think we can safely say that my taste has long since moved on. Which brings me to my next show and tell item. This is the first quilt I made from a pattern that I found on Moda Bakeshop about 3 years ago! It was this quilt that set me on my journey to Flickr and blogland. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was when I found that there was a whole new world of fresh, bright fabrics and modern takes on traditional designs! True to form I didn't choose a nice straight-forward pattern to ease myself in gently, nope straight in there with a Triple Irish Chain. I completed this section of the quilt about 3 years ago and it has been festering in a corner since then! I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it so I just left it until inspiration struck me...

I used Hello Betty by Chloe's Closet for this quilt, as per the pattern, but pale pinks aren't really my thing. Mum loves them though so I finally had a reason to get on and finish this baby. I'm trading this quilt for a hard to find Hello Betty honey bun in the grey colourway :) I added a little pale pink perle hand-quilting to the four interior white sections just because I could.

You might just be able to make out the little swirls on the white on white background fabric. Whilst I would normally shrink away from using this kind of fabric now I actually love the way it looks in this setting. I bound with my favourite Minnick and Simpson stripe which I then edged with one of the decorative stitches on my sewing machine. 

 Here's the finished article.

A pieced back from some Pezzy Prints, left over background fabric and this cute tree print that I can't remember.

The end result is a perfect lap sized quilt, just right for snuggling under in this chilly weather. I'm hoping to deliver it to Mum this weekend when we head north to check out progress on our soon to be (fingers crossed) new house! Hope you're all staying safe and dry in this bizarre weather. Catch you soon x