Peaceful Night Complete - Again

Today

October 2014

Have you ever put countless hours of thought and effort into a special project only to later discover that it had a 'fatal' flaw?  Every time we air or wash the twin's Musical Stairs quilt I berate myself for having used a soft polyester batting (middle layer) as its fibres gradually work their way through the quilt front and back and make an increasingly ugly furry, pilled mess. Quilters refer to this undesirable attribute as 'bearding'. It was some months later that it dawned on me that I had used the same batting in my treasured Peaceful Night quilt - the one I designed, carefully cut the papers for, painstakingly hand stitched together and proceeded to hand quilt with precious silk threads! I triumphantly finished Peaceful Night over 18 months ago, with the two photos directly above shared in October 2014, as the jacarandas bloomed.

After trying to ignore the bearding issue, hoping it wasn't really true, I contemplated not using Peaceful Night, instead keeping it pristine, as a one-day wall/display quilt. But that wouldn't really do. I want my quilts to be used and loved for decades, not hidden away or thrown away due to becoming an ugly bearded mess. With great reluctance I finally acknowledged this quilt deserved to be remade with organic cotton batting, ready to confidently face being used and loved.

The hardest part was actually beginning to undo all those beautiful stitches..... I knew the backing fabric wouldn't quite fit again, I had questions about the binding and wondered if I even had enough silk threads for a second round of hand quilting. I plunged in, determined to cross each hurdle in time.

I found a beautiful fresh piece of organic fabric in matching colours for the backing, a length of Nancy Mims' Pick a Bunch which I had bought from the US back in 2011- a very happy realisation! I also discovered I had bought extra silk threads in my favourite colours back in 2014, plus I still had a little more of the binding fabric on hand. As I tucked the 'old' backing neatly away on my fabric shelf for another project, I quickly fell in love with the 'new' quilt, hand quilting with silks all over again.

It has actually been quite a pleasure to spend time with this treasure again. The binding needed extending by about an inch when it was reattached - I guess the quilt top must have relaxed and stretched just a little through the remake process. The quilting is exactly as before except that I added a round of single stitches to the centre of each star, like little spokes, to help secure these diagonally cut pieces for long term durability.

This afternoon Master T served patiently as quilt holder in front of my favourite local Moreton Bay fig tree which is close to the centre of town, while appearing to be a million miles away in the domain of gnomes and hobbits.....Wishing everyone a Peaceful Night! I know I sleep a little easier knowing Peaceful Night now has the happy ending it deserves.

Coming Home

My husband sat nearby as I stitched down the last of the Wildwood quilt binding by hand. He couldn't help but notice how much I was enjoying the process. He said it gives him great pleasure to watch me sewing. 

'I feel like I've come home' I replied. 

Working with soft, clean organic cotton fabric fills me with a sense of great contentment which is hard to explain. I've been creating with needle and thread in one form or another since I was three years old, it is just part of who I am. Having recently discovered more about conventional cotton production as well as my own sensitivity to chemicals, I am all the more grateful to embrace organic cotton. I can buy, wash, cut, press, sew and use organic cotton with a deep peace of mind and body - like it's where I belong.

Completed on Boxing Day, I was waiting for some quilt labels before sharing this finish. The labels arrived early this week, a little mark of craftsmanship to accompany each new quilt as it prepares to head off into the world.

2014 Was....

A year of FAMILY changes and milestones.

We had a wonderful family holiday in February, followed immediately by our eldest two children leaving home to begin college/university courses far away. Quite a change for this homeschooling family.

Cricket dominated much of the year for our five players and especially for our now 17 year old twins who have each made state selections again for Women's Under 18's. They will be playing in the National Championships at Ballarat once more next week.

Gracie is making moves towards pursuing her passion for music.

My husband has been unwell and off work since early April bringing much change to our family dynamics.

With 5 wonderful teenagers in the house (and one older and two younger) food disappears very quickly....

A year of exploring THREADS.

Over the last year I have bought many different threads for a variety of quilting purposes and several other thread types were gifted to me to try out. This has been a major highlight of my year, a bright spot in my days which have often needed to be focused on my husband's health needs.
If you wish to know more, click on the 'threads' label in the right hand column.

A year of happy QUILT FINISHES.

Doesn't it do wonders for the soul to work with your hands to finish something so useful and beautiful as a quilt. Details of each one can be found under the 'Completed Quilts' tag at the top of the page.

A year of VARIETY.

A small pincushion, a cross-stitched butterfly, two skirts and two tops - each one designed and created to fill a need.
Three quilt panels were quilted by request/commission. My 29 year old sewing machine broke down midway through the second quilt panel. My amazing new machine, now permanently set up in our main living area, has been a tremendous blessing to me in so many ways.

A year ending with EMBRACING ORGANIC COTTON.

Beginning to discover the importance of choosing organic cotton (fabric, batting, thread, bedding and clothing) has changed the way I view and shop for these items. The more I learn, the easier it is to resist buying any cotton item which is not organic - passing by super cheap fabric, bedding and clothes in favour of purchasing or making organic items. There are some gorgeous organic fabrics available and more being released each month. I look forward to sharing further in the future.

And last, but by no means least, I managed to Find Beauty, Joy and Contentment in my everyday life, even if I had to work a little harder at it than most years!   :)

A Plus Finish

I love this quilt! Its bold, clean lines and colours are appealing to the eye. Although completed earlier this month I had not take photos of it finished until this afternoon. Miss O kindly joined me at the jetty for a quick photo shoot.

I hope to make more 'Plus' quilts next year using some gorgeous organic fabrics.

Choices and Thankfulness

'Killer Clothes - How seemingly innocent clothing choices endanger your health...and how to protect yourself'. This is a very enlightening, and frightening book, best read in small doses. It covers much more than just fabric composition. Every time I pick it up I become more aware of the clothes I am wearing at that moment. Part of my response has been to make myself a skirt late last week from organic cotton using a length of Cloud 9's Wildwood which I had bought to use as a quilt back.

Same technique as when I made a skirt recently, using another skirt as a template. Here I am wearing it again today, a perfect lightweight for our hot almost-summer days. It's been worn and washed several times already, softening with each wash. We hang our washing/laundry to air dry (weather permitting) and thankfully the skirt hasn't required ironing. I'm planning on sewing more clothes using organic cotton.
*Update August 2015. The fabric in this skirt has continued to soften with ongoing wear and washing, however it really doesn't offer the soft drape which is desirable in a skit like this. However this speaks well of the durability of the fabric for use in quilts and other household items.

With recent hot days, I sometimes cook our evening meal very early to help avoiding heating up the house later in the day. The chicken went into the oven before sunrise and was enjoyed with salad that evening.

The twins turned 17 this week and chose to celebrate with an ice cream cake which they had the pleasure of constructing.

There is a sombreness in the home at the moment as a well loved Australian cricketer, 25 year old Phillip Hughes, has died this afternoon as the result of being hit in the upper neck with a cricket ball while batting on two days ago (just below his helmet). Earlier this month while Miss N, Miss G and Master J were playing local club cricket a middle-aged team member dropped to the ground unconscious in the middle of a game with a brain bleed. He remains in hospital with an uncertain future. Life can be unpredictable, let's be thankful for each other and each day - and a very special Thanksgiving to my US readers :)

Miss E sporting fancy sunglasses during her first dental checkup. She was still smiling afterwards too!

Last but not least, a little more hand stitching on my epp flowers for my Fresh Fields quilt - loving these colours as the near-summer heat sets in.


Sharing at WIP Wednesday.

Sweet (Sweltering) November

The jacarandas have been beautiful again this year, spreading their purple haze all around our town for weeks.
Another generation of Australian Wood Ducks are walking our streets. We watched during one dusk walk as an oncoming car stopped to let them safely cross the road - much to our relief!
16 year old Miss N has had two games of first grade night cricket with our local club. She is decidedly dwarfed beside her fellow team mates.
For my birthday this year I requested gifts of service from our children - which were given, as well as chocolate.
My husband seconded one of my organic fabric orders to serve as part birthday gift - isn't it beautiful - Wildwood by Cloud 9 - just what I wanted!   ;)
One of the best birthday treats was having Miss E (6) wear a dress which I made in 2011 for Miss V (which she never once wore!). She didn't last the whole day in the dress but I enjoyed every minute of seeing her wear it. You can just see where she has lost a top tooth too.
I completed my Ginger Blossom pinwheels quilt late Wednesday night and gently tucked it around a sleeping Miss O straight away. It is a delight to see her enjoying this quilt, one long enough to keep her toes warm too!
Today is not quilt weather! The cucumbers were struggling to manage at 11 am, despite me giving them a long drink around sunrise. The gazanias seem to be loving the sunshine. Now noon, it is already the hottest day of the year at 39C (102 f) and the mercury is still climbing (update:it reached 43C at 2.30pm, and was over 40C for several hours). Master J is leaving right now to play cricket in the heat, all afternoon. We need to attend a function elsewhere in town which hopefully will be air-conditioned......
Sweet and sweltering.  :)


Sharing at Our World Tuesday.