Last year I had the last one in a series of mystery quilts from Quilters Haven. It was called Tea Ceremony and it made up like one giant block, so, easy to sew but it was in colours that I wouldn't actually go near normally. Perhaps that's a good thing.
There were the bright green sections, almost plain, the orange tan sections, also nearly plain, and burgundy flowered sections. I can't say I took to it very much at all actually.
I finished the top and it went over the banister at the top of the stairs where I seem to keep tops waiting backing, batting and quilting and it has stayed there gradually being buried and ignored.
I knew the plain blocks needed fancy quilting and not on the mid arm. It was going to be a job for Bob the Bernina. I ordered a matching King Tutt thread in both the green and the tan. They then sat on my work table for another few months.
I have become a firm believer in trusting my instincts and the little people in the back of my head. If I have a problem or something isn’t going naturally, I leave it and let the little people work on it for me. Sometimes they find an answer quickly but other times, like with the quilt, it takes a little longer. I know something is brewing in there but I’m not always let in on the secret. When they are ready, they flick a switch and I have a light bulb moment.
That happened yesterday evening. I was to swap the colours of the threads around; I was going to do the green on green and tan on tan, but not now. I worked out the centre section on Golden Threads paper and sewed away. I love free machining, but this wasn’t. It was following lines I had drawn. I carried on and then had to spend twice as much time tearing out the paper. I’m still sane but only just.
Today I was not going to spend ages planning, drawing, copying, sewing, tearing, tweasering and vacuuming! I was going to free machine!
And I have been and now I ache. I’ve made sure I stopped after 45 minutes and had 15 minutes break. I’ve still quite a way to go but I’m hopefully going to finish tonight so I can take it to my sewing group tomorrow and hand sew the binding.
Photos then.
