Quilt for Centaur Community 20 Years

When I was asked to sew a memory quilt for the 20 year celebration of the Centaur Retirement Community, I didn't know what to expect but I soon found the project rather exciting.  Creating a design to best tell a story with the variety of shapes and sizes of the old photographs and newspaper clippings was quite challenging.  I found designing the quilt to look balanced, with all those shapes that had different stories to tell over the years, took days of day-dreaming and planning.  Needing to use the colours of the RSL Care logo added another challenge but they did help to give the layout a clear definition between commemorative, memorial, publicity and happy snaps. Altogether, I'm pleased with the result and I hope the residents of the Centaur Retirement Community are also.

My Quilting Bone is Working Again

Yes Bern, I'm back on line !
I've spent the last few months exercising my quilting bone and I've almost worn it out.  I've completed 4 quilts and am now in the process of doing the hand applique on another.  The first 3 were done to use up what was left of my 'oriental reds'.  I'm done with that phase and I needed to move on. Forgot to take a photo of the first one before I donated it away though, but here are the snaps of the rest.

"Hong Kong Markets":  Just strip pieced the small bits. It looks plain but the quilting makes it.  It's single bed size and there's also a matching cushion which looks better than the quilt.

"Natty Noshi":  I've been wanting to do a noshi for a few years and had intended to do it in the traditional style and colours with the Japanese fabrics.  As you can see it took on a life of its' own and then it grew some more when it decided to have a border with hexagons here and there.  Leftover pieces and spare hexies went onto the back.  What was being made to hang on the wall is now too big to fit.  I'll just have to spread it on top of all the others that are stacked on the spare bed.  LOL !

Since I also have a whole shelf of Japanese fabrics still waiting to be loved, I suppose I really haven't any reason not to follow my original intention and I could even use a pattern this time.  I might do the next noshi by needleturn, it always looks nicely 3D.  mmmm.

"Cottage Garden":  Did these blocks at our machine embroidery group sessions because they weren't too time consuming.  This cottage look isn't the usual thing that I do but I've fallen in love with it.  It feels snuggly and warm.  I'll need that when I get reeeally old.  I might just make a couple more with this look.  It reminds me of an eider down quilt my mother had.
Well I need to get to work now on the newsletter that I do so the next post will have to wait until next week.