Final manifestation: the Maningrida lap quilt

Seems ridiculous, but it was quite difficult deciding how to finish off the borders for this little quilt, measuring a metre by a metre – whether to extend it, by add more fabric, or just use the seeded homespun that was already there. I decided on the latter as the most straightforward, in spite of the edges being a bit ‘wavy’ and lines not being totally straight… nevertheless, here it is... completed!

Next project is to put back together one in the “backyard” series (will be 40x40cms – I think). Unsatisfied with the composition, it was picked apart and put away in a shoebox, to be taken up again at some other time. It was originally inspired by the many hanging swamps in the Blue Mountains, and has now morphed into the site of the Glenbrook Lagoon, one of my favourite places to visit for its tranquillity and beauty. Still wondering how to deal in fabric with the huge bunches of water reeds that surround this natural water hole. And in case you are wondering, that strip of blue at the bottom is a strip from a poster of Fred Williams’ work called “Infinite horizons” – so love his work.

More to come!!!

The Maningrida story - almost finished!

I am very excited that my little Maningrida quilt is back home, now beautifully quilted by Kerren Yelland of Tangelwood Quilting[1] on her long-arm frame. It’s not quite finished off – still have the borders to attach – but nearly there! I need to buy some more seeded cotton to attach the borders, so a trip to Katoomba is on the agenda for next week. I have written about the fabrics, design and metamorphoses this little quilt has been through in a previous post (February). Here I want to highlight the wonderful quilting… large spirals overall, and smaller ones along the top and bottom borders. The way my quilt was returned to me to was like receiving a surprise package, gift-wrapped in her own hallmarked tissue paper. Kerren is a true professional!

In the meantime, the Uluru quilt (see last post) has taken quilt a lot of measuring and manoeuvring to get it to the point of final quilting. It has been left in Kerren’s capable hands.

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[1] tanglewoodquilting@outlook.com

The Uluru quilt

On the weekend at our local Quilt Show in Springwood I found the woman with the long-arm quilting machine – and to make it even better, she is just around the corner in Singles Ridge Road, ten minutes away in the car! She is going to machine quilt the Maningrida cot quilt using a spiral pattern, and the thought of having that little quilt finished, ready for attaching the border has given me the impetus I needed to get to the next UFO (yes, I have several, you might believe!). I call it the Uluru quilt because I bought a jellyroll of commercial fabrics of various indigenous designs when Leo and I went to the Top End maybe ten years ago now. It was a fantastic trip that began in Darwin, included Kakadu and Nitmuluk (Katherine Gorge), and trip on the Ghan, out to the Olgas and Uluru, and back to Alice Springs.

I loved the richness of colour and abstract design in the jellyroll, and of course added others I had in my stash. The blocks for the quilt were inspired by a pattern from the wonderful Michelle Marvig. I am very glad to have found Kerren Yellend (of Tanglewood Quilting) with the longarm. After manoeuvring my way round the very geometric, symmetrical and dense quilting design within the 2” strips, I found it too difficult to continue passed the first four panels on my little home Bernina – hence it too became a UFO (dare I say, another stored in a box for Ron)! Because I do like it, it has been out of the box for a few months, but still no action taken until I took it round to Kerren for a bit of advice, hoping she could finish the quilting. It seems that with a little more piecing of the finished blocks and joining of panels there is promise it cab be finished to the stage of my putting on the binding, and hand sewing the finished seem – a stage I love. Here is a preview of what is to come - oh, it's actually the snake cloud that came across Uluru in the morning while we were there. I felt so privileged to be there at that time.