Sharon's Roses

In January 2003 I had the brilliant idea to make a quilt for my dear friend Sharon for her 50th birthday in February 2004. I decided to make a quilt featuring Rose of Sharon blocks and during my searching for patterns came across "Rose Sampler Supreme", a quilt designed by Rosemary Markhan. I can't believe that I had the audacity to start this quilt being such a novice - must have been a case of ignorance is bliss.

My needleturn applique is atrocious and after trying a block or two, I decided to blanketstitch the applique. The quilt top was finished in time for Sharon's 50th birthday and it stayed at her place for well over a year before coming back to our place to sit in my sewing room for a long time while I thought about how to quilt it and then worked up the nerve to start. The quilt was pin basted last April and then all the blocks, sashings, swags, borders were ditch-stitched.


I free-motion quilted around all the applique and used machine embroidery "Rose of Sharon" designs between the swags with a machine embroidery "S" in each corner (it's called "Redwork S" but looks a bit like Superman's 'S').

Yesterday I made a machine embroidered label and the last stitches were put in the quilt.

Sharon and I met when we were 21 and have been friends ever since. Our families have a great deal in common and John and I are very fortunate to have both Sharon and Gary in our lives. This photo was taken last Tuesday night at Sharon's birthday dinner.

We are seeing Sharon and Gary next Saturday night, so we'll give her quilt then.

I want to say something about the awful bushfires and loss of life but I'm pretty much speechless - it's just heartbreaking - and then at the other end of our country people are fighting enormous floods.

Vintage Valentines

Blocks 9 and 10 finished and two to go. Am so looking forward to this quilt being finished; it's been on the go for so long. Am determined to have the top together by the time I go to a quilting retreat in Qld in June.

This is the Rose of Sharon machine embroidery quarter block. I've darkened the photo so that the stitching will show up.

There's a lot of leftover Sharon's Roses fabric in "Vintage Valentines" - will be very happy to start something new with different fabrics.

Quilting

Finished machine quilting "Sharon's Roses" last night and the binding has been attached. Did this while watching/listening to Jelena Dokic's match - every time I looked over at the tv she lost a point so I stopped looking (in the end that didn't help her but what a fantastic match). I love this backing fabric.

All that's left to do is some sort of quilting in the space between the swag/flowers and the zig-zag border then the binding can be sewn down. I thought about using a machine embroidery quilting design and I found a half Rose of Sharon block design on the Embroidery Library website and it will fit beautifully into the space, and there's a quarter block design to fit in beside the corner oval.

John and the rest of the family are going to see Leonard Cohen tonight, so I'll set up the embroidery machine in the family room, stitch a swag or two and see how it all looks.

Christmas Table Toppers

The Hatched and Patched "Christmas Table Toppers" are finished (but not ironed). I started "My Angel Garden" last night while watching the tennis. Have a look at Jenny's blog - she has made "My Angel Garden" as a shop sample for where she works - it's lovely.
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The quilting on "Sharon's Roses" is coming along - 8-1/2 blocks are finished; 11-1/2 blocks to go; I'm taking it easy, just doing a bit before and after work. By the time I get to the 20th block my outline quilting may have improved a bit. The quilt really does require/deserve much more quilting but I haven't done enough free-motion practice yet to fill in all the spaces. Am hoping to get a fair bit of quilting done on the weekend - might even surprise John and suggest we go for a ride on the bike on Sunday (if it's not too hot).

Over-committing

Last year I found myself easily caught up in all the excitement of the free BOM's etc that were available in blogland. I started two but have since fallen way behind and have no idea, at this stage, when I will be catching up. This year I've decided that I won't be "signing up" to any of the new BOM's, challenges etc - my only goal is to make at least one Christmas-themed goodie each month and anything else I start or finish will be a bonus. No "to do" list, a "wish list" instead.

On the weekend I did some more machine quilting on "Sharon's Roses" - will it be finished in time for Sharon's birthday (3 February)? We'll see. This has definitely been a "work in very slow progress". My lunchtime stitching is "Vintage Valentines" blocks 9 and 10. Check out Helen's "Vintage Valentines" blocks - they are absolutely gorgeous. At home I've been stitching Hatched and Patched's "Christmas Table Toppers" - they are very cute but gee I still need a lot of needleturn practice. The kit was part of Honeysuckle Cottage's 2008 Christmas Club.

For Christmas Sharon bought me "My Angel Garden" kit and pattern - I traced the angels while I was on holidays, so this little tablemat will be ready to stitch while watching the tennis once I've finished the Christmas mats. Very pretty fabrics in the kit.

A Winner

The winner chosen by random number generator is No 4: Sew Create It - Jane. Please send me your address Jane and I'll organise for some McGrath Foundation goodies to be posted your way.

Friday night I spent some time cutting out this little pile of fabrics and appliques which will become one of these Christmas wallhangings for Jenni.

This afternoon I spent a couple of hours quilting a bit more of "Sharon's Roses" - this quilt is almost 5 years behind schedule - I'm hoping like mad that I have it finished by early February next year. It isn't really a quilt to put on the frame and I believe it should be hand-quilted but that's just too daunting.

Our Weekend

John and Jenni took the new toy out for a run on Friday afternoon while I took the opportunity of some free time at home to start pin basting "Sharon's Roses" (that's my name for this quilt that is based on Rosemary Makhan's "Rose Sampler Supreme"). Yesterday John rode to Sydney to show Elizabeth and Michael. I had no idea, at the time of starting, of what I was letting myself into. This baby is huge. I bought the fabrics in January 2003 and started work on it pretty much straight away hoping to have it finished by February 2004 for my dear friend Sharon's 50th birthday - yeah, right. Think it was a case of "ignorance is bliss". The quilt top was almost finished in time for the birthday (just a couple of border swags to be appliqued) and, I'm sorry to say, the quilt top has sat in my sewing room ever since and I've been quite daunted by quilting it. Made a decision that this was the weekend to make a start and I've ditch-stitched some of horizontal sashings. Am hoping to do some more this afternoon (after the ironing). Miss Gigi Scrumptious was stood up. "Bubbles the Fish" and "Thomas Turtle" have won over my affections for the moment and now "Big Red Whale" is waiting to be stitched.

3 sleeps until John and I fly to Queensland for 5 days - we are visiting my brother then I'll be going to Brisbane Stitches and Craft Show with Diann (who shall remain blogless), Helen, Jenny and maybe De . Diann, Bill, John and I will also be visiting Eumundi Markets, hopefully stopping at The Patchwork Angel on the way. Can't wait!