The gloomy weather, sewing withdrawal symptoms and no exciting trips planned were making me feel rather like I was in the doldrums. An unexpected Facebook message from Andrea Stracke changed all that when she let me know that Tartan Tattoo had won 1st place for Longarm Quilts at The Open European Quilt Championships at Maastricht in The Netherlands! I waited impatiently until I could see “proof” online with photos of the red rosette. It is a show that hangs the quilts well with plenty of light and space and it was even displayed so the back could be seen. I was thrilled to receive congratulations from friends on Facebook from family to quilting friends and even some quilt “Legends.”
This good news really cheered me up and spurred me on to finish the piecing for the other 2 Purdah quilts. The red and black one was tricky. I had not pieced it using paper foundation piecing so the quarter inch seams were a little variable. I managed not to knock too many points off in the end and I love the rather Welsh/Amish red and black simple look.I have been swithering about the quilting but I think that pumpkin seeds of some sort will cross cultures. There may also be some woodblock stamps with a seeded theme. The black and black one was a bit dreary to work on. Despite having a reference book out to calculate the size of squares needed for corners and setting triangles, I ended up making a few test squares from scraps until I decided that the measurements would work. This one is going to be quilted in regimented straight lines but I have “found” some variegated red and black thread that should add interest. The thing that is still eluding me about this project is what to add to the plain black shawl that will hide everything. I want it to be extremely subtle, almost non existent, somehow conveying a strong message about Purdah. I expect inspiration will come along eventually, inevitably around 4am one morning.
Typically, just as I was thinking that I did not have a backlog of customer quilts to worry about while I worked on my own projects, 6 quilts arrived within 24 hours. This is a good thing as it keeps my business afloat and a bit of pressure always makes me more productive. I am looking forward to getting some quilting practice - I feel that I have done more than enough piecing for a while and it is time to do what I enjoy most.
Vivienne sent me the final proofs for “Deviant Quilting” so I could look for any last minute typos and corrections. We are both really proud of how it looks. The pictures are fantastic and I actually enjoyed re-reading my text. It is just about ready to launch forth and I really hope that it is a success that will lead to more books in the future. I am hopeful that it will get a few good reviews and that people spread the word so I can earn enough to take my long-suffering kids on a trip to the USA. Disneyland is unlikely to be one of the destinations - Paducah and Nashville are more what I had in mind but long as I take them to some old-fashioned diners I’m sure they will have a great time:)
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