S's 'Into each life some rain will fall' quilt top finished

I think this is probably my fastest quilt top finish ever!

I cut it out Saturday 20 September and completed sewing the top together on Sunday 21 September!

I had a weekend in Melbourne three weeks ago with dear friends.  So dear, that my girlfriend, who isn't even slightly into quilty stuff drove me halfway across Melbourne to Amitie (one of my top five favourite quilt shops) to pick out fabric for the back.

One half rainy days - since we all have some sad and dreary rainy days in our lives - and one half coming up flowers...although in this case they are more a kind of Asian inspired chrysanthemum!

So now, with quilt top finished, since I and my sewing machine are in Perth, and Niece S is in Wellington, we will go through some complicated logistics, planned to go like this:
- I send top and back to Wellington with my hubby (who was with me in Perth, with kids, for the school holidays)
- meanwhile back in Perth I make up a quilt label from bits on leftover fabric
- Hubby takes quilt to Sue Burnett, professional quilter extraordinare, in Wellington, for a simple all over rose pattern
- then I keep my fingers crossed that Sue might be able to quilt it for me before I have a week back in NZ in mid November
- if so, I buy something to bind it with, and borrow my sister-in-laws machine to finish it off - then...
- my favourite step...I get to hand it over in person to Niece S as her late birthday and early Christmas present.

It's a grand plan...no room for anything to go wrong there....

Do you like the duck wondering what on earth these mad people are doing?

Cross Currents for Kate - Finished!

Oh my it is so good to have a finish!

This quilt has taken me almost 18 months, six months of hunting out fabrics and a year in the making.  I'm inordinatly proud that it is entirely my own design...created on the design wall...and redone several times over because of:
- taking it down to create other quilts in the interim
- putting it away because I'd lost my mojo and could not think how to proceed any more
- picking it up and replace it after the wind had blown it off - twice!

So I'm delighted that it has turned out pretty close to my original rough sketch.

 

(Taking this photo we were given a hilarious running commentary from an older lady who was convinced either the quilt, or my hubby or me was going to end up in the water...and she wasn't diving into rescue us!)

 

I had the top custom quilted by Sue Burnett of Busy Bee Quilting and as ever she has done a fabulous job.  Her quilting is best seen on the back.

 

There are clouds in the sky, shells on the beach and a variety of different waves including turbulence where the currents meet in the middle of the quilt.

 

She has also included an orca.....you can just make it out in this photo....

And a seagull, that mirrors those on the front of the quilt....I love how the seagull is flying up the path of the waves.

I was keen to include a single yacht, off doing its own thing.  The two brigh blue fabrics in this photo are both silk, so it will be interesting to see how well they wear.

 

 

Not the best photo of the label - its a little hard to read, but I managed to sneak in a little of this wonderful whale and fish linen (released to late for me to include in the top).

 

 

 

 

Now the quilt will travel back to Wellington, New Zealand with my husband, and then up to Auckland as a late birthday/Christmas present.