It is hard to believe that we are almost in to June and 1/2 the year gone??????
I guess if it is going this fast for me I must be having fun LOL.
During the past week I made up my first 4 background borders, this is quiet a task as I only have 7 metres of fabric and it is only 14 wide so I need to do a lot of joining and as it is silk it has to lie the same direction, some of these strips have only one join but one has 5 joins ?????? Then I have ironed on a very fine stabiliser as it helps stop the silk moving in all directions and keeps it in the shape I want not what it wants to do. ??????
It is rather daunting when I see how much work is going to be involved making LE but it is my heirloom quilt so I have several more years I hope to complete it LOL I have made up enough Zig Zags and Dutch Pixies for another side, plus lots of pieces for border 11 and 12, as I'm working on lots of different areas now I never get tired of working on it. I do not have enough fabric for the corner stones or the last border for the backing but LE will talk to me about that as time goes by!!!!!!!
Through so many of the members talking about hexagons I went looking for my first Hexagon WIP ???? but found this one instead.
I brought this one online about 10 years ago a unfinished 1930's grand mothers flower garden quilt. I have pulled it out from time to time but could not decide how to cope with the batting as the maker has used a lovely soft batting but did not cut it to fit, but over laid it in the centre so there is two thickness down the middle 1/3 of the quilt. Yesterday I decided well thats OK thats were you want the warmth not on the edges and i have decided to leave it as is rather than unpick the quilting that has been done around each flower in the ditch twice. I was chatting to Bunny about this quilt and she motivated me to start on it so yesterday I sat for 6 hrs I quilted one of the flowers a 1/4 of an inch inside each hexagon and how lovely it has come up.
One flower completed and only 55 more to quilt LOL While quilting it yesterday I realised how sweet these tiny floral fabrics from the 30's are, each is a little treasure on it's own. I also realised how dirty the fabric was too???? especially the white but what can you except after 80 years and never been washed LOL.
The backing is just a plain off white cotton but will show up the quilting and I think it will be lovely with this way of quilting it. These hexagons are 1 inch on each side finished.
I searched yesterday on the net to see if some one had put up a tutorial on how to bind the edges of the quilt keeping the shapes of the hexagons rather than a straight line, and found a wonderful one, it means making around 360 more hexagons, I have enough 1930 fabrics to be able to do this and so finally after 10 years plus I think I have solved all my problems and now just need time LOL. If the binding works I will show a small tutorial in photo’s next week. I have spent the last 3 days in bed with flu only thing I have done is quilt two more flowers for GMFG
I'm getting so much enjoyment out of quilting this old quilt.
3rd flower completed only 53 to go LOL. All the neutral coloured fabric are quite strong and thick, green has faded to 1/2 it's original colour but I like it as it is now, and the feedsack muslins are very thin, and quilt up so quickly at 12 stitches to the inch where the heavy cotton I can only get 10 to the inch.
No nature photos or garden this week I’m in bed still. I will link now with Esther
http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com WOW or WIP’s
Thanks for dropping in. Cheers Glenda
Hope you are feeling better soon. Your LE center is looking beautiful, hope you have enough fabric for your borders or have you already found a second fabric as I had to.
The hexagon quilt looks lovely and your handquilting is really giving it life.
Hugs, Jenny
Hope u feel better soon. Early in your year for flu. Would you think of showing photos of hand quilting? My stitches are not the same on the back and front . I have looked at several videos, but I think I need slow motion or stop action.
ginabeth
Oh Glenda, I am so sorry to hear that you are sick. I hope all the bed rest helps and that you are feeling better soon. Your garden and the beach will still be there when you are up and healthy again. Take care…… Julie
I love Grandmother’s Flower Gardens and enjoyed seeing yours. And your LE is beautiful, inspiring.
Sorry to hear you have the flu. I’ve come down with something similar yesterday and feeling like death warmed up. I’m just grateful it held off while we were away! Your LE top is looking beautiful. I really LOVE the old grandmother’s garden top and how you are hand quilting it! It is beautiful now and will be fabulous when finished. I took a small kit away with me and made up some hexagon flowers on our sea days…you’ve got me thinking now!
oh wow! That’s so much work on that hexie quilt even if you did buy the top done!
Hi Glenda, sorry your ill, get better soon. Love your LE!…I have not long started mine but progress is slow.I’m not doing it in order like you but just what ever i feel like doing. I love doing it! sue ~nz