You Quilt, You Learn.....

Well, at the time it always seems worth it.....you plan, you start...you end up spending your nights in an effort to finish your quilt. Of course YOU love it, because it's yours.....and then you post it off. Finally, you're finished.

Then, you walk past your quilt at the show, and its crinkled, and its nothing like you remember....what was I thinking? Where did all the gold go? It just looks beige! Is it the lighting? Is it the surrounds? Am I colourblind?

This quilt looked so beautiful at home. It glowed and had a real old fashioned beauty about it. But now, I'm wondering what all the fuss was about.


I am beginning to question my designing skills and this quilt fell very short of what I had planned. On the positive side of things, we do finally have a quilt to throw over the sofa..... it's not gonna make it to the wall, or 'important quilt' cupboard. It's disappointing when this happens, expecially when you have high hopes, but....you quilt ....and you learn.


I have learnt my lesson, when you have a lot of gold fabrics in your stash - leave them there, dont try to use them all up in a quilt just because you love gold.

I wonder how many other quilters experience this, is it just me?

It's a Winner !

Waltzing Pinks!

Well, I never thought I'd win anything with this quilt, but there you have it!

You can make this quilt yourself in an upcoming edition of Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.

To see the full list of Sydney Quilt Soow's 2008 winners, click here....

www.quiltersguildnsw.com/quiltshow

I'm away at the Sydney Show.....

I'll never use varigated threat EVER again

Ah, finishing touches, and its only 2am!

Morning Photo....

Quilting detail photo

Thought for the day:

Variagated thread looks beautiful on the cone. But not on my work!. It appears to be a perfect colour match. However once you start stitching, it looks inconsistent....and you cant go back, because unpicking the stitches will disintegrate into little tears on the fabric (on a domestic machine).... this quilt taught me a lot about last minute disasters and late nights. At least for my work and style of quilting, this thread does nothing to assist!

Also, I DO NOT recommend Glad press and seal...it stuck so heavily to the fabric that I had to tear it away and then pick at the stubborn strands with tweesers. I never mark anything, but for once I wanted to try a quick tip I'd been let in on....and it was a disaster. I finished (and will now stick to) freehand, like I always have. Thank goodness I only commited this technique to 1 border.

Well, now that I've highlighted all the positive experiences of quilting I will finish by saying that I am greatly relieved that Manor House is packaged and travelling as I type. In fact, it's probably already in Sydney. I just hope that when I see it at the Show that it will be the way I remembered and that I wont be too embaressed. I always like to let quilts sit a few weeks so I can view them with fresh eyes....and with my late night finishing marathon I didnt get the chance.

I will put all this down to 'experience' and move on....

Stencils at the ready!