Carolyn's Quilts: April 2012

21 April 2012

FMQ Challenge - April

April's tutorial was given by Don Linn and was how to transfer a quilting design on to your quilt top tracing the design on to a piece of tulle set into a quilting hoop, with a permanent marker. This must then be ironed to set the permanent ink so that the ink does not come off on the quilt top. Then with a purple marking pen (which should disappear when wet so please try it on a scrap piece of the quilt fabric first), trace the design lightly on to your quilt top. It can then be easily seen to machine quilt. This is an ingenious method of transferring a quilting design and I know that I will use it again. There was no "doodling" to do this time!

Tracing on the tulle

The design traced with a permanent marker onto the tulle. I have used a piece of white paper under the tulle so that the tracing shows up nicely to photograph.

I chose to do the sample design which Don gave us as it fitted nicely into an 8 inch square of my prepared quilt for this FMQ Challenge. I used the usual Seralon in the bobbin, Colorful embroidery thread in green through my Titanium 80/12 Quilting needle and Gutterman Sulky 100% cotton in peach/green variegated thread to micro-stipple the background. I also chose to do a little embroidery on the leaves.

Quilted design

Close-up

Here is a close-up showing the embroidery on one of the leaves and the micro-stippling.

Thank you Don for an awesome tutorial on how to transfer a design on to a quilt top for machine quilting. I really enjoyed this and am intending to buy your book on quilt designs!

20 April 2012

90th Birthday Celebration

90 beautiful roses for the birthday girl!

We celebrated Mom's 90th birthday on 12 April 2012 with my two sisters and their husbands, Lesley and David and Barb and Russell at Ama Casa in the Natal Drakensberg. Les and Dave have a beautiful home in the "valley" in the Drakensberg mountains where they run a very successful Bed and Breakfast hospitality business. They have 3 self-catering cottages with stunning panaramic views of Cathkin and Champagne Castle.


A view from the front garden looking out onto the peaks

We were blessed to stay in Di and Colin's lovely cottage with Barb and Russ. Such peaceful surroundings as is obvious here!

Barb relaxing!


The lounge which also looks out onto the peaks

And then came the gastronomic delights! Barb and Russ brought a prawn starter which was followed by a scrumptious dinner of Moroccan Lamb prepared by Dave and Les, well actually Dave! Les prepared the salad and set the table with her table cloth from Mauritius. I provided the Lemon Meringue Pie - the amount of lemon to Mom's specifications!

The table set for dinner

Dave putting the finishing touches to the Lamb

Well, we drank wine and ate delicious food and talked and then talked some more. I think that Mom was quite exhausted as we had spent a harrowing day before sitting in stop/goes on the way to Bethlehem and then again on the way down to the Berg. To top it all we were held up by a HUGE herd of cattle being herded in the same direction in which we were traveling, and which we gently - actually not so gently - nudged passed.

We departed the next day with Mom returning home to Kloof with Barb and Russ and ourselves back to Harrismith. We left Les and Norah to do the cleaning up before the next lot of guests arrived in the afternoon. Three cheers for Les and Norah!!

I was delighted to make Mom a quilt for her birthday which I know she will enjoy having on her bed and undoubtedly will show off to all the residents at Chartwell Retirement Village. It was a privilege to put many hours of hard work into this quilt which I know Mom will appreciate. I also made her a knitting bag out of Dad's ties. I feel that this turned out a little large for Mom's diminutive size but I'm sure will be put to good use during flea market shopping expeditions!