SSSShhhh - its done!

My first ( and third to last pieced quilt :-) - as I have blocks cut for two more plus quilts and given I get 3-4 hours a night sleep the blocks sometimes didn't meet where they should on a few areas! )


But Mum's quilt is done and the binding all hand sewn on. The quilting was a leaf pattern on a wavy line, intermingled with 2 wavy lines..unless the kids came in and interrupted me - then there might be 3-4 wavy lines, or a half a line of leaves and half a line of just wavy line! oops

Every block has an equine print and something farmy!

Some of the lines were a bit slim, others a bit fat- but all good FMQ practice... and suited the back which had a gum leaf batik along with the dark brown horse shoe fabric with a line of smaller plus blocks ( ones that I mucked up but looked fine cut down to 11inch blocks!) The back is dark as I've heard the mucky puppy now sleeps on the bed !

Having only ever done art quilting where you can hit it at different sides...... here it needed to be an overall consistent style.



For those interested in the pattern head over to my Friend Rachel's flickr site and her dimensions. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wooden_spoon/8584301543/in/photostream/ She made hers 8 by 8 blocks. Mum's was a bit smaller to suit their bed and horse float 7 wide by 8 long.

I am looking forward to doing mine, with nice modern bright fabrics, a selection of Kaffe's in there and my favourite themed things - like Carolyn Friedlander's topo fabric to signify love of outdoors and tramping etc.

No quilting for the next 3 weeks - just a sketchbook and a pencil and a pile of planning for a range of art quilts 2013...and hopefully some planning for Symposium 2015 challenges ( soon to be posted on the website so they say!)

Interesting when I mentioned the "mistakes" in my quilt a lady at Quilt Group told me  a story that the Amish  put mistakes in their quilts....I found this on a blog...
http://cookiescreek.com/500/mistakes-in-quilts-amish-tradition-or-myth/

"  A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick ......“One of the first bits of wisdom imparted to a novice quilter is that the Amish, who make some of the most simple but exquisite quilts in the world, purposely plan a mistake into each of their projects because they believe attempts at human perfection mock God.  Of course, any quilter knows that you don’t have to plan for imperfections in your work; they come quite naturally on their own, so I don’t know if this bit of Amish folklore rings true or not, but the idea does.”
 
I’ve also heard it called the Humility Block.  So I did a little Google research.  There are several websites that present what appears to be unbiased factual information about the Amish, including the quilt imperfection theory.  One example from The Amish People and Their Lifestyle:

“I have heard the Amish will place a small mistake or imperfection in a quilt or other handmade item. Why is this done?”

“We’ve heard that many years ago sometimes a scrap of fabric that didn’t quite match was used inconspicuously in a patchwork quilt to give it “identity.” We question whether this is true. We don’t know of any quilters who would do that today. Amish quilts are all band quilted; stitches are very small and uniform. But, no matter how hard one tries, the stitches are not all identical and perfect. A quilt may have an imperfection, but it wasn’t on purpose.”

Several other websites answer in the same manner.
There is an excellent Quilt History on Hart Cottage Quilts website which includes extensive information on the Humility Blocks:

“But the research of quilt historians reveals that the “humility block” appears to be a figment of mid-20th century imagination.” 

Oh well, Mum won't know and I can pass on that story that with this quilt nobody's perfect!