My mum has been sewing ever since I can remember and used to make a lot of our clothes when we were little. She taught me how to sew and to read the patterns and I made some of my own clothes when I was a teenager. But whenever something special was required like a ball gown for the Uni summer ball or a fancy dress outfit she always produced something that fitted the bill perfectly. Probably the most stressful challenge for her was the wedding dress! But again she produced the perfect dress for the occasion.
So although I learnt to sew quite some time ago it ‘s only really since 2005 that I ventured into the world of patchwork and quilting. We were moving back to South Wales where my other half had acquired a new job and I wanted something to focus my attention on when not looking after our 18 month old daughter or house hunting!
So after browsing through my mum’s vast array of books, magazines and patterns I selected a small quilt that looked achievable, with some assistance from the pro herself. None of this starting with a sampler quilt to learn some of the basics first! Not owning a sewing machine and living in a friends spare room initially it had to be something that could be done initially by hand. Off we went to our delightful local shop, Cowslip Workshops, to buy the fabrics and I was up and running that very evening. The design was bondawebbed to the background and I then sat for many hours blanket stitching around it all. After a brief stay in hospital the 4 blocks were complete and after a trip back to mum the quilt top was constructed. Although we put it together with the batting and backing that is how it stayed for quite some time.
After moving house 3 times, the arrival of our son and the imminent arrival of our second daughter the quilt was finally finished in time for the winter 2008. Which was quite lucky really as it’s been rather chilly this year and it’s been keeping Abi warm. It probably took me this long to complete because, as with many quilters, an occasion would arise or I would see another project that I would just have to embark on.
