Friday 21 March 2008

Hoppy Easter !!









Sorry - just couldn't resist it !! I am so excited I can't tell you but more of that in a minute. Here is my little crocheted effort. My daughter Jess who is 17 and not at all understanding of mummy's little hobbies took one look at it and said " What is THAT ?" Lol. Quite cute I thought and I enjoyed doing him. One of my cats Marley keeps giving him the evil eye. So funny - he has really took against it... I will put him in my sewing room next to the little gingerbread man Jeanne made me for our Secret Santa swap. He will be safe in there from Marleys claws.



And the reason I am so excited is I have a finished quilt. Yippee. Quilted, bound and everything.


I love this quilt for a few reasons. The main one being it reminds me of a very kind lady - Gudrun. Some of you will know this but for those who don't. I admired a bag made by Gudrun on her blog and fell in love with one of the fabrics she had used. I asked her where she had got it as I REALLY wanted some. A short while later Gudrun emailed to ask for my address as she had been to the shop where they had the fabric and bought me two metres. Amazing !! I was so touched by her generosity. So Gudruns fabric is the star of this quilt. It is wonderful. Funny because I had a few emails agreeing with me and asking the make and number of the fabric.



When it came to the quilting I decided to quilt in the ditch around all the blocks and across some of the 16-patch blocks but I wanted to do a little extra in the alternate blocks. Because I have just started doing some stitchery I have been buying embroidery floss everywhere I go to build up a collection of colours. On Mothers Day a couple of weeks ago I had a little present from Patrick. 20 different skeins of floss in colours he'd chosen. So I decided to do something I'd never done before - some big stitch quilting with the embroidery thread. Nothing fancy - just 4 leaf shapes. The quilt is backed with fleece and the embroidery threads quilted like a dream.



I am SO pleased with how it came out. I think it my favourite quilt so far. I have washed and dried it and it is lovely and soft. The pictures should be clickable to see the big stitch quilting better. I also used an embroidery stitch on my sewing machine which I like the look of.




So thanks Gudrun ( and Patrick ). I am a happy girl today.



Have a great Easter weekend everyone and don't eat too much chocolate - lol !

36 comments:

Melanie said...

What a victory!!! I'm with you-- great fabric....have You got plans for the quilt? Enjoy Easter with your family.

Jeanne said...

It is a beautiful quilt, Andrea! I would be excited to have it finished, too. Love the Gudrun fabric. The bunny is really cute. Wishing you and your family a Blessed Easter.

Marilyn Robertson said...

I have some blocks that I made sitting around that I didn't know what to so with, so they have been sitting. Now I know I want to do something similar to yours! Thanks for the inspiration!

Kieny The Dutchlady said...

It's a wonderful quilt I can see why you are so excited about it!

Unknown said...

What a beauty, and yes the Gudrun fabric is just perfect. She's such a sweetie. Enjoy your Easter.

Julia said...

I love it!!! I want to do some of that big stitch quilting too. It looks great! When you say you put fleece on the back, does that mean that you don't use any batting?

Diana said...

Beautiful finish! I love all the special little touches you put into it.

Lisa Boyer said...

Wow! What a beauty! The embroidery stitches are a great idea...makes it interesting and fun to look at up close. I love the quilt pattern, too! Very, very nice.

jovaliquilts said...

Congrats on the finish, it looks great! How sweet Gudrun is, how much more special that makes the quilt!

I really like your embroidery stitches, too.

Kim West said...

It is beautiful!!

Rose Johnston said...

Oh this is gorgeous!! Great job with the quilting, love the leaves, they look wonderful!! Cute bunny!! Happy Easter!!!

sewkalico said...

Hoppy Easter to you and Patrick too!
Lovely quilt. Well done on ANOTHER finish. Almost time to start something new LOL

Unknown said...

Thank you for your kind words. I do like how the quilt turned out.

Quilter Kathy said...

It turned out just great! And I love the idea to do the floss stitching! You are really on a finishing roll!

Sarah Nopp said...

Ahhh- what a cute bunny wabbit! I wonder if I know any littles who need something like that. I wonder if I can still crochet...

Peg - Happy In Quilting said...

Your quilt is just beautiful, and the fabric Gudrun sent is lovely and extremely thoughtful...

Unknown said...

I love this quilt and can quite understand why you fell in love with the fabric

Darcie said...

Your quilt turned out so lovely! The search for the fabric makes it even more special to you, I'm sure.

Darling little crocheted bunny. Have you seen the little crocheted "marshmallow" peeps out in crochet-world? They are darling as well!

Happy Easter to you and yours, Andrea!

loulee said...

It looks stunning Andrea, no wonder you're so excited. You have every right to be proud too.

julieQ said...

Gosh, I can see why that quilt is one of your favorites. Beautiful! I see your baby enjoys it, too. The Gudrun fabric makes it all the more special.

Quilts And Pieces said...

Oh it is a wonderful quilt and bunny. My girls who are your daughters age think the same thing about my hobby! I'm hoping someday they appreciate it! I loved that fabric when Gundrun had it on her blog too, I had to go searching for some too! I got your box mailed today! They said 5-10 days.... I hope you like it!

Karen said...

What a lovely quilt and story. You did a good job on the quilting.

Pam said...

Such a lovely quilt. The stitching all turned out beautifully. I love the machine embroidery stitches along the outer border, very pretty touch.

The Calico Cat said...

Love the machine embroidered bits. I tried that & ruined a quilt.... :o(

Floss said...

The bunny is very cute, and the quilt is lovely. It’s so nice when you see a quilt and it makes you think of someone special.

nancy said...

Andrea,
I'm in the 4Seasons swap this time and am making the rounds as I can to visit all the participants' sites. I've enjoyed looking at your work.
Nancy

Idaho Quilter said...

Great quilt, I just love those big stitches, effective and fast.

meggie said...

Wow Andrea! That is just beautiful!! You have done such a lovely job of the whole quilt, from patches to quilting.
No wonder it is your favrourite.

Anne Heidi said...

What a beautiful quilt! I love the look of the quilting with the embroidery floss. And the bunny is adorable!

Inmapatchwork said...

Tu blog es precioso me tomo nota para pasar a visitarte
Felicidades, Besos

Inmapatchwork

Red Geranium Cottage said...

I love your quilt. It's wonderful and that bunny............adorable!!!!

Tracey @ozcountryquiltingmum said...

Lovely to have a complete finish, it looks great and you have sewn a lot of your life/friends into it, which is all part of the fun.
The Spring swap quilt is coming on nicely and I loved the finished post and rail, those straps are a fantastic idea! Tracey

Chocolate Cat said...

Thanks for welcoming me to Blogland. I LOVE your quilt, must be such a sense of achievement. I also love the bunny, he is very cute.

Quilting Pirate said...

LOL, I too LOVE the bunny -- too cute!!

And YAH - HAPPY DANCE!! Always a great feeling when you finished a quilt and this one is gorgeous!!

Helen in the UK said...

Great quilt - love the colours! Congrats on your finish :)

Sarah Nopp said...

I love that bunny. So... I started to make one (from Lion Brand yars, yes?) and realized I am not a very good crocheter. Like, I couldn't get my Round to work at all! I will have to take remedial course I suppose.