100% NZ for Ben

Returning to my most recent finish - this 100% NZ single bed quilt - sharing on the Blogger's Quilt Festival this week.

Time to make a quilt for the second of my cousin Kaylee's children...Ben didn't mind what colours it was; I had found the silver fern fabric last year and wanted to use it so I thought I'd do an NZ black/white/grey theme (and then found out he has just recently redecorated his room in grey, so it has all worked out well!) 

Measures 57" x 76" - nicely covers a queen bed (with no overhang).

Took me a while to gather together the right tones of black, grey/silver, and white; and then took just as long to work out the pattern - that took quite a bit of math I can tell you!

For the backing I used a world map panel, and some Kiwiana-themed fabric for colour, along with top and bottom panels of the silver fern fabric again.

Home is where the heart is (and NZ is where it will always be for me!)

I stuck to simple in-the-ditch quilting through the NZ/squares section,
and straight horizontal lines in the top and bottom panels. 

We are about to shift to a new place in the Edendale township (downsizing from the property we are on) so I wanted to get this finished this week as my last quilt here at 111 George Street and also so I can give it to Ben (who lives up in the Ida Valley) when Kaylee brings the kids down for the Kidzone Festival in Invercargill.

 I have loved having such a big living area that my sewing gear could sit easily in one end of the room - at the new house I will have a lovely north-facing spare room to act as my sewing space (and have already filled the double wardrobe with craft supplies...and that's before I even think about moving the tubs of fabric that are under the two spare beds at the moment!! Yikes, where will I fit it all?!)

And here is the young man himself, stoked with his new blanket:

Linking up with Kelly's Needle and Thread Thursday - and also Amanda Jean's Finish It Up Friday - hi everyone "kia ora!"

Colourful Directions

At last I have found time to take some photos of this cot/lap quilt that I finished back in April!

It is a jelly-roll pattern from a library book that I have since returned and, 

as we are about to shift house tomorrow, all my notebooks/sewing books have 

been boxed up and so I can't tell you just what pattern that was! I will edit 

the post once I have unpacked all my gear in my new sewing/spare room at the new place.

I quilted with a large, all-over stipple.

While it is a jelly roll pattern, I actually used yardage that I cut into strips. I wanted nice bright colours and used the green solid as the sashing to tie it all together nice and vibrantly.

The owl fabric is the reason I went with bright colours - I've used the rest of it for the backing along with leftover strips of the bright fabrics.

It measures 52" x 55.5". 

Not sure where it will end up or who will get it but I guess the 

right person will come along at the right time!

Linking up with Kelly's Needle and Thread Thursday - hi everyone "kia ora!"