ANZAC Hearts - another finish!

So there have been a few finishes around these parts of late.  This is the last post about the quilts I finished for the Show recently.  Not only is it a finish in itself, which qualifies it for a link up to Finish it up Friday, it also ticks another project of my 2016FAL list AND it was my oldest WIP (and subsequently contained a lot of emotion!!!)

 

Progress posts can be found here, here and here - all from when I was blogging as Little Grubs!

 

Started:  March 2010

I had recently learnt to quilt and joined my first quilting bee via Flickr.  I liked hearts and I liked the fabric so I sent out a bundle with a request for hearts.  That was it!  I was too new to the game to realise I should have given some specification on block sizes.  It was only when they started to come in I realised how hard it would be for me to put them all together!

 

Finished:  14 May 2016

This quilt top was finished in August 2010 and then sat on shelves in many houses, both in NZ and the UK!

 

 

One of the reasons it took so long to quilt was because I did not know how to quilt it.  I loved the top and did not want to ruin it with my quilting!  When I got my longarm machine last July, I thought this would be the first quilt of mine that I did on it.  But no, I then realised I had so much to learn on my machine that this top still languished on my shelf.  It made my Finish Along list twice before this quarter hoping that would be enough motivation for me to get it done.

 

 

Even when it was loaded onto the frame I was not really sure how I was going to quilt it.  Any of your regular readers noticing a theme here?!!  I knew I wanted hearts and feathers but what I did not realise was how many straight lines I would put onto it.  The rulerwork practice I got has certainly improved my skills.  Oh and my burying threads has got real quick too using a spiral eye needled!

 

This was one of my blocks, made from this pattern by Tallgrass Prairie Studio.

I think this is my favourite quilted block - my feathers flowed on this one!

 

And finally it was ready to bind.  I still had the time to handstitch this binding, which I actually really like doing.

 

The wadding used was Warm and Natural by the Warm Company and the backing was pieced using For You by Brigitte Heitland for Zen Chic by Moda and Prints Charming by Sandy Gervais for Moda.

 

 

I used Glide threads top and bottom in Coffee, 27504, and Light Turquoise, 32975.

Dimensions:  50" x 70"

I entered this quilt into the Groups Category at Quilts UK, Malvern and was delighted to receive a Judge's Merit ribbon for it.  Of course credit must go to all the members of the Bee for making their blocks.

Luckily six years on I still love it.  I am so please that it is finished and I am really looking forward to being able to use it! x