So now I'm at Liberty.....

...... to tell you about my playtime with some of my hoard of Tana Lawn fabrics. And I am so relieved to, finally, show you what I've been doing with it.  Oooh, actually I can't decide ..... should I show you the finished object right NOW?  Or should I be a bit of a tease? And show you how I got there?  What do you think? 

I'm sorry, I can't hear you.... What do you think?

Oh ok, that's better I thought you'd all left the room.  Just like my husband does when he asks me a question and I -apparently - take too long answering him.  So his eyes glaze over and he wanders off into another room!!!
And then... has the audacity to shout out 'it's no good talking to me when I'm in the other room. You know I can't hear you'  ###?@@!!!

 Correne just popped in and told me I should warn you to make a drink and grab a chair as this may take some time. Or you could always skim through and look at the pictures I suppose.  But don't tell me or I might cry. Ok? :-)

So, where was I?  Oh yes.  You said you'd prefer to wait to see the finished project didn't you?
Excuse me?  What was that?  Alright, no need to shout. ;-) I'll show first and 'tell' after then.

Oooh isn't it amazing?!!!!! A roll up to make you feel much better. Sitting on Correne's brilliant Liberty picnic blanket kindly gifted to me.  

I fell in love with Liberty in the early/mid 70's when Correne was just a little tot.  It was just me and her back in those far off days (she is going to be cursing me reading this, you can probably hear her shouting not so far off days Mother!!!)  Funny isn't it how rapidly you can change from a 'Dear Mum' to an 'Irritating Mother'  in the blink of an eye with just a couple of words? :-)) Although, thankfully, gone are the days when she preferred to keep me in a cupboard to be reached out occasionally for an opinion and bunged back in the cupboard again when it was the wrong opinion!!!  Happy Days. Teenage years.  My advice? For what it's worth.  Just keep loving each other no matter what, try VERY hard to not say anything either of you will regret and when you come out the other side you will have the best friend you always dreamed of.  No kidding, honestly.                                                            

Mmmm, what happened there?  How unusual, I got side tracked.  So, just the two of us in our little family unit.  Not a lot of money, but lots of shops to window shop in and my absolute favourite was a little shop in Cotham, Bristol that stocked bolts and bolts of fabulous Liberty.  I used to drool at the window displays and as a treat,  go in and smooth the fabrics and dream about what I could make with them.  Oddly enough little as she was Correne didn't mind waiting, she usually started chatting to anyone who'd listen to her. I'm not saying she was patient, I guess she just knew which battles to fight. Hehe, nothing much has changed really except that she has her own passion for fabrics now. :-)

  

I wanted to put a photo in here, of us from way back but they're still packed up from the move and waiting for the next move, hopefully later this year!

  

I used to make clothes and such like for people back then and one happy day a customer placed a bag of Liberty fabric in my (shaking) hand and asked me to make her a dress!!!!  How lucky was that?  I did, of course and I never told her that the money she paid for the material would have fed me and Correne for weeks!  :-) So, to cut a long story short...... What you think this is a long story?  Hmmm.  You don't know me very well then. Anyway, the offcuts from that dress which I was very kindly allowed to keep were the start of my Liberty stash which I have added to and made from ever since. Clearly, the giveaway has shown that I've got quite a lot. 

So to the quilt that has got me so excited.  Was that 'finally' I heard you say? :-)  Cheeky!  I started making tiny hexies out of the Liberty back in September 2011 (no excuses, I like to think things out and mull them over for a while. A bit like a cow eating grass then chewing the cud as it processes through it's four parts of it's stomach or something like that! GCE Biology from the late 60's is a bit hazy.)  And when I'd made the little hexie flowers I appliqued them to some Kona solids 5" squares. 

 Made into needle cases and pin cushions for Christmas Gifts.

I carried on making the flowers in between other projects and it wasn't until earlier this year that I decided to make them up into a quilt/wall hanging.  So one lovely afternoon when visiting with Correne and Jess we were all sat hand sewing and I finished appliqueing all of the flowers onto the 5" solids squares. You know how you have a vision of something in your head and it's just.. missing...a little something?  You can't put your finger on it.  But it feels wrong... kind of.....  Well, I knew how to fix it.   How?   I had a bit of a  very long browse on ebay and ... Eureka.  Jackpot!! Found it, the missing link.

Perfect.  A fat quarter of Liberty lawn called Lucy's Farm. Discontinued I believe.  So I had a few tries at the layout.

Yikes!! I know it's Liberty. But awful!!! 

Errm.  Better but not quite. 

Keep going....

 

Mmmm nice. 

 

Very nice.

Yes, oh yes. (Steady on, nearly had a Meg Ryan - When Harry met Sally moment!!)  

The backing.  Liberty Rossmore Cord as soft as Mackinlay's sweet little baby hands.

Perfect with Correne's (now mine all mine) fabulous Liberty Stile Picnic Blanket.

Which I promise you will NEVER go near any grass!!! 

and really finally...

A close up shot of the inspired way Correne pieced the back including the selvedge.

And you'll be relieved to know that I still have plenty of Liberty left to carry on making pretty things with.  And for more giveaways too probably, cause I do like to share! :-)

Phew, if you have stayed with me through all of that I am so proud of you!  You have real staying power.  If you skimmed over it and only looked at the photos, still thank you.  I know I've gone on and on. But I have to say I've waited for... shush I'm counting... er... a very long time!!! Let's say nearly forty years to own/make a Liberty Quilt and what do you know just like buses two come along at the same time!! And I am one very happy bunny.

Thank you so much for visiting I've really enjoyed sharing my Liberty story with you. And I hope you don't think I've taken too much liberty with your precious time!   Till the next time  Take good care of yourselves.  Happy Sewing.  Xxx