My Creative Space

Late on Saturday night with the film 'The Notebook' on the telly, I dared to delve into the 'very old unfinished projects' pile I have stored in my grandmas old sewing basket and was very pleasantly surprised indeed to find this large double bed sized completed patchwork in need of blanketing, backing and binding.

I remember making this when my sewing machine first arrived in Tassie from the UK. After nearly two years of living with only the belongings I had stuffed in my backpack or had recently accumulated, I felt like a child on christmas morning when all my goodies arrived from the UK and once again became part of my life. Including my grandma's old sewing basket jammed to the brim with some treasured sewing items that I just couldn't be without, some very carefully selected fabrics and other bits and bobs and my trusty old Singer (mums old one given to me when I was about fifteen).

So, I digress, in my creative space this week I decided to get 'Vera' the quilt finished so that we can use it in the beloved caravan. I don't know why I do that by the way, but I always do name my quilts. I even remembered this old girls name when I pulled it out. Maybe it's because when I'm sewing with the old vintage sheets I think about who would have had them before me and I create this imaginary charater which the quilt then sort of becomes. Anyway, I digress again, to finish Vera, I stole the old blanket we currently had on our bed that really had seen better days and was in need of upcycling and chose a beautiful vintage sheet from my stash for the backing. I had already sewn on the bias binding made from purple corduroy when I originally did the patchwork so the first job was just a massive case of ironing, sandwiching, pinning and basting.......she's a big'un!

I then realised that Vera was going to need some quilting as she is rather large I was a little worried she might get abit bumpy and misplaced with age.....bless her! So I embarked on an applique project to go on her backside to hold her together.

But that didn't quite work out as my optimistic self hoped as she was just way to bulky to manouevre in the machine, so plan b had to come into action; I ended up just stitching in the gutter of the patchwork panels to keep her altogther and maybe later I'll attach the applique design by hand, one for the road trip maybe!!

So she's now all finished and hanging up drying. Tomorrow she'll be on our bed, I can't wait. What has everyone else in blogland been up to this week? Lets have a lookie here. Cheerio.