Wherever I Lay My Hat - Surprise Project I Revealed

Since May, I've been telling you all that I've been working on two surprise projects and I'm finally able to share them with you. I've been so excited for so long.

So here goes with Surprise Project I - this is a quilt that I've called 'Wherever I Lay My Hat' and is a gift to my eldest son, Jack, on his graduation - BSc (Hons) French. It's taken him four years, Years 1, 2 & 4 at Aston University in Birmingham, England and Year 3 he lived and worked in Paris. I loved visiting him in Birmingham but our time spent in Paris with him, being treated like a local rather than as an English tourist was very special and we have wonderful memories to share.

Before the ceremony, we gave Jack the quilt, his graduation gift from us, and he also received a generous cheque from Gran that will allow him to study for his CELTA Cambridge qualification in Seville this September.

The Graduation Ceremony was held at Birmingham Town Hall and afterwards, we were all taken on buses back to a champagne reception at Aston University.  It was a very enjoyable afternoon and the day was finished off with Gran treating us and our friends CB and JW to a fab evening meal at Pushkar Indian restaurant on Broad Street.  Jack, Flicky and JW then went clubbing in Birmingham whilst Simon, Gran and I went back to our very welcome beds :) .

and here're more photos of the quilt itself - which Jack loved so much he carried it to his graduation ceremony with him :)

I took my inspiration for the quilt from 3 fabric maps of London, Paris and New York - representing all the countries that have been 'home' to Jack during his degree.  I built the fabrics up using 2 English themed print designs of crowns and Big Ben's clock face, 2 French themed prints of Parisian images and advertising alongside some French song lyrics and then 2 prints of the New York skyline.  I interspersed these with a handful of other non-themed prints and solids in 3 horizontal bands for the quilt front and I repeated each fabric across the quilt back also.  Across the lower front left, I machine embroidered Jack's name, degree and study dates.

The quilting is alternating through horizontal and vertical on each fabric design and the 3 maps have diagonal quilting that turns back within each triangular section rather than crossing at the centre.  The quilt border has parallel quilting intersecting at each corner.

I named the quilt 'Wherever I Lay My Hat' from the extended saying ... that's my home ... as that is exactly how I think of my eldest son, who from the day he was born has been my little adventurer and explorer, always keen to learn more about everyone, everything and everywhere.  Now he's not so little and his adventures take him further and further. I hope his thirst for life continues and his time in Seville, and wherever life takes him after that, is successful and exciting, as well as everything he's hoping it will be and more. x

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