My First Quilt..

What fun, Carrie and Camille have suggested a parade of quilts, they ask that we show our first quilt and our most recent quilt. 

Back in the early 80's I was into handspinning and dying and funky if complicated knitting, loving particularly designs by Patricia Roberts. This cardigan which is still hanging in my wardrobe is from handspun/dyed wool is showing a distinctively patchworky pattern, maybe the patchwork bug was already getting a hold on me!

After the birth of my first son I needed something that was still portable, easy to pick up and put down but not so easy for a new baby to grab a hold of and pull undone in the blink of any eye!!

My first quilt was a handpieced sampler, made in an evening class over many weeks.

There were no quilt shops and finding coordinating cotton fabrics was hard so Mum and I went on a girls trip to Libertys of London and bought some of their fabulous lawn fabrics for my this my first quilt.

Not only is every seam handstitched but its heavily handquilted, I am looking forward to the day when I can find time to handquilt again.

I still love the border design that I chose...

What did I learn? Well that I love sewing by hand, I enjoy applique more than piecing, if I am piecing then matching points are not essential to me and that I should have done the long seams on my machine as no one would have ever known! 

The most recent quilt that I have finished that I can show you? That would be this one using my fabric line Hedgerow. As you can see Hugo thinks its a winner.

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing my first quilt and my most recent finished quilt, it was really a good thing that i got to look in the quilt cupboard to find my first quilt as all the quilts needed to be refolded and some are even as I write in the washing machine as they were a bit cupboard smelly (you know what I mean...eeew), soon they will be all fresh and lovely again hanging on the line in the breeze...now that sounds like a good picture for a post later this week dont you think.