The Big Reveal!

WARNING: This is a very long post, so please feel free to move on if you have more thrilling things to do than fabric gaze!


Ok then, time for the big reveal. The reason I couldn't show what we had been up to is because it was all for our daughter, Matzen, whose friends had organised a surprise baby shower which took place yesterday. So, now the party is over and there is just a baby to look forward to - note the played down 'just' there when in fact the whole household is in a state of utter baby excitement - I can actually reveal the things we spent half term making: these fabrics became...

A cot quilt in raspberry pinks, soft whites and a touch of red to lift the whole.

Unfortunately yesterday morning was dull here unlike today with its bright, beautiful sunlight which would have made photographing the fabrics so much easier. Never mind, you get the gist anyway. This is the reverse. The mix of soft fabrics makes me want to sigh with pleasure every time I see them; they also produce an almost overwhelming need to curl up in their quilty swathes for a snooze or two!

The 'top side' is even more special to me as we each designed a motif which I then embroidered onto the quilt. Everyone drew their own design onto paper first and then had free reign of my sewing room and its many piles of fabric - gulp - to choose what colours they wanted to use for the various components of their design. Even Isabella was completely involved in the process, drawing a house and having the most definite ideas about which fabric to use for the roof.

I tried to ensure that each of the designs was appliqued and embroidered in such a way as to retain the style of the designer. For example, the grass in the image above shows the naive style Isabella draws grass and windows (I traced her pencil strokes onto the fabric to keep it as exact as possible). Dave also has a very er, naive style! he is renowned for his pictures of boats such as this one...

and sea creatures such as this!

Elias drew an amazing lighthouse

I thought a little girl was needed, what a surprise

and Lucy wanted her signature cupcake to keep things girlie.

I realised the only picture I took of the whole together was really rather a poor one. So typical isn't it?

The binding was a soft duck egg blue with rosebuds sprigs scattered over, A pretty contrast to the rest.

So there you have the first of the makes. I get such a deep sense of happiness when I think that this is the fourth quilt I have made as gifts for our children and love the fact that so many of us worked together on this very first one for one of our children's children! I'll save Davey's knitting for the next post as I truly feel I have rambled on long enough. I'll leave you with a photo I took early this morning when the sun shone with such warmth that it is impossible to believe spring hasn't arrived at last.

Have a lovely day x