Tuesday 20 July 2010

Not very golden Golden Wedding Quilt**

My wonderful parents celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary this weekend - 50 years of the most fabulous marriage. They are completely devoted to each other and far more romantic than most couples ever manage to be!

Inspired by Michaela's Golden Wedding blanket I decided to make them a quilt. So back in April I went through all my books and 100s of Australian Homespun and Country Threads magazines until I'd narrowed down designs to about 15


I wanted something more traditional than my normal style but not old fashioned and I knew I wanted to use these fabrics by Timeless Treasures that I had bought very cheaply a couple of years ago from Hancocks - fortunately I was also able to find a couple more metres in this country so I would have enough.


This was the design that I chose - although I found it really hard to "see" how it would look in my fabrics!


And then I started sewing...................


And then I stopped because I was distracted by a million other things.................

So about 2 weeks ago there was a mad panic as I realised how much I still had to get done!


I decided straight away that there was no way that I could get it properly finished and quilted so I accepted that I would just be giving mum and dad a "flimsy" instead of a finished quilt.


Their party was on Sunday and I finished it on Saturday afternoon in time to take it round for a family meal in the evening.


And they love it.

And so do I!

It's definitely the most complicated thing I've ever made and I am very aware of all the wonky bits and mis-aligned seams and points - but hopefully no one will be inspecting it that closely!

And now for the quilting............................. Anyone got any good tips on what type of quilting I should do???

P.S. Sorry for the erratic quality of the photographs - my normal camera has been "sanded" again by the beach (oops) and the other one is meant to be good but is actually rather rubbish and I can't be bothered to read the instruction manual!
P.P.S ** not very "golden" because it's BLUE!!! ha ha ha - I crack myself up sometimes! ;o)

31 comments:

Ali said...

Congratulations to them - and to you, for the quilt is really lovely.

Gina said...

The quilt is beautiful Lucy. Congratulations to your Mum and Dad!

Stephanie Pettengell said...

I think that you have done brilliantly, all those flying geese would put many folks off. You have done a wonderful job with colour and piecing, you should be very proud of yourself. Congratulations to Mum and Dad too.

Starry said...

It looks gorgeous. No one will ever notice the bits you think you messed up, it adds to the charm of a handmade quilt!

I'm still plodding along on my cathedral window quilt. It was going well until it started getting big now I need more space!

Linda said...

A great quilt for a truely great occasion. Happy Anniversary to your parents and Well Done to you for finishing a lovely gift in time!

Annie said...

Congratulations to your parents, that is an accomplishment I hope to enjoy one day in about 23yrs. I love the quilt the fabric choice looks great. I'm not much of a quilter so i don't have any ideas on that, good luck.

trash said...

Very nice work Locket. I am a big fan of quilt-in-the-ditch quilting. This would mostly be because it is something I can actually do.

dutchcomfort said...

Congratulations to your parents!

I love your quilt better than the original! What a wonderful gift!

Quilting ideas... when you want to tackle it yourself you could choose for a diamond grid. When you can bring it to a longarm quilter, they will have lots of advice! Good luck!

{Leila}Where the Orchids Grow said...

Congratulations!
Love the blue and I'm sure those inperfections aren't noticed by anyone but you.

How to quilt hmmm, are you going to tackle it yourself?

Quinn said...

What a lovely gift! I would have had to begin in "April" about two years prior to the anniversary ;)

Congratulations to your Mum and Dad!!!

Mrs Moog said...

Your quilt is absolutely stunning Locket and such a beautiful gift for your Mum and Dad's Golden Wedding.

Many congratulations to your parents on their very special day!

I wouldn't know where to start with quilting it, so I'm no help!

xx

French Knots said...

Wow - that is amazing, you should be very proud of yourself, the pattern and colours are wonderful.
Congratulations to your parents too!

Thimbleanna said...

You crack me up too Ms. Locket -- you're so funny! LOVE that quilt -- you've done a fabulous job. I can't wait to see your quilting!

julie said...

What a wonderful, wonderful anniversary present - it really is gorgeous! Congratulations to your Mum & Dad too.

Sew Create It - Jane said...

Oh how pretty...one can never go wrong with blues and whites.

Unknown said...

I don't think for a second that they will notice any slight imperfections - they'll just be absolutely delighted and so should you - it's lovely! Will you hand or machine quilt it?

periwinkle said...

congratulations to your parents - wow . As for your quilt, it's just gorgeous and well done you ... sorry can't help on the quilting pattern,

Michaela said...

That is absolutely beautiful. It looks such a complicated design - anything beyond a patchwork square has me stumped! Well done you and a great many Congratulations to your mum and dad. (I have got 6ish weeks to finish mine and am already in panic mode, how you kept your head with only 2 weeks to go remains a mystery!)

dragonfly said...

Triangles frighten the living daylights out of me! The blue and white is stunning - I hope they loved it and that you are very pleased with yourself!

PS. I'd hand-quilt it, but you probably knew I'd say that!

ladydi said...

Best wishes to your parents for many more such happy occasions! Your quilt is gorgeous - I love it, too. I would go with a grid pattern for quilting. (It's the only machine quilting I can rely on to come out well. :>}) If you're hand quilting, echoing around all those stars would be stunning.

Helen said...

Lucy it's GORGEOUS, you are amazing!! Love Helen xx

Lina said...

What a wonderful gift. It's rather beautiful Lucy - a what a labour of love with all those pesky fiddly stars. Well done!

marit said...

It looks stunning in blue!!!

Happy anniversary to your parents.

LiEr said...

Happy anniversary to your mum and dad, Lucy! And oh, what a GORGEOUS quilt! And all blue and white, like a fine, classy, priceless ming vase. Beautiful, beautiful. And claps on the back for finishing it!

wonderwoman said...

wow Lucy, its lovely. Many congrats to your mum and dad!

xxx

dottycookie said...

Congrats to your mum and dad, and what a lovely present you've made for them.

Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED said...

Love the golden, er blue quilt, just beautiful work Lucy.

Thanks for welcoming me back, it means a lot.

PICCALILY & BLOSSOM said...

The quilt looks fantastic. What a triumph reaching 50 years of being happily married.

silverpebble said...

That quilt remins me of old blue and white china. Many congratulations to your parents, and to youi for making such a treasure, Lucy xxx

Jackie said...

I made my parents one for their Ruby wedding anniversary years ago and its never been used. My Mum is saving it FOR BEST!!!!
I said if she never uses it , when she's gone I'm giving it to the dog (Although we don't have one now) .
(Don't have a dad anymore either)

Jackie said...

Ooops..really meant to say I think yours is beautiful.