7 Day Quilt Challenge

A 7 Day Quilt Challenge has been doing the rounds on Facebook the idea being that each day for seven days you post details of a different quilt you've made.  I was nominated for the challenge by my friend Karen Moore Haynes.

The seven quilts I chose don't showcase my work per se but they hold the most meaning for me and I've been sharing them daily on my made by ChrissieD Facebook page.

 I've decided to share them here with you too, in one post rather than seven!  If you'd like to know more about each quilt you can click the images to go to the original posts

QUILT 1

My Very First Ever Quilt - October 2011

My Top 3 Reasons For Visiting Seville

1) to spend time with my wonderful family:

lots of piccies of me, Flicky, Jack and Ana

and I came bearing gifts - you may remember seeing these before!

My quilted pillows and my 'Wherever I Lay My Hat' quilt

 2) to experience the city and appreciate the stunning architecture:

Ana particularly wanted me to see this beautiful building  - it's Costurero de la Reina - Queen's Sewing Room, the name comes from its use by Maria de las Mercedes, the Queen, who was ill and used the site as a refuge to sew and enjoy the open air close to the river.

and 3) to quilt with Ana:

So this is Ana's sewing room and that's my very large cup of tea on the cutting mat!  I wasn't expecting such a great setup so this was a wonderful surprise, to go on holiday and get to do some quilting, there's nothing better :) 

 I didn't actually bring any fabric back with me - the choice of quilting weight fabric was very limited and at €18/metre it's so hard to justify buying fabric at that price unless it's something special that you can't live without, certainly not when we can buy it so cheaply back in the States - I'm not sure we know just how lucky we are!!!

Here's Ana adding a binding to a Christmas wall hanging she's made - I taught her everything about binding that Christine Janove at The City Quilter taught me. And check out those two Flamenco dresses hanging to her side, Ana made those too, she's amazing :)

And here's Ana with her first bound and finished hand quilted Christmas wall hanging - it's so cute and gorgeous, just like her - I'm not surprised Jack headed off to Seville to be with her ;)

Here's a round up of my Instagram photos from Spain

And the best bit about coming home?

... Tatty waiting for me

but then Flicky did this to her:

I don't think Tatty's too keen on learning Flamenco dancing even if it is to that 1970's classic Y Viva España - total humiliation.
Don't worry Tatty, it's only about 11 weeks now until she goes to live in St Andrews! ;)

For details of other fabric, yarn, trim and notion stores that I've visited around the world along with the NYC stores I love, exhibitions and events I've attended and wonderful people I've been lucky to meet click the links below or in my side bar :D

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

Related Posts:
An Actor's Life For Me - Surprise Project II Revealed

Disclaimer:

This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.