Wish Quilt Reveal!

"They" were waiting for me at the post office on Monday morning and I couldn't wait to get home to open the parcel.  

Ollie had a hard time waiting as well.

So are you going to open it?

My Wish and Comfort & Joy quilts had arrived back home!

I found myself doing what I do on Christmas morning...waiting just that little bit longer to open each gift in order to savour the anticipation of what lay inside.

It's nothing to eat, Ollie...see?

I literally ran up to my studio as soon as I unpacked the quilts.  The custom, free-motion quilting is drop dead gorgeous...thank you again, Alice...and I couldn't stop myself from running my hands over them.  They are ever so soft and pliable, even with all the wool appliqued elements and quilting.

I immediately cut and prepared the binding and went to work.  By 9:30 p.m. I had pulled the last stitch and my Wish quilt was finished.  All there was left to do was to add some embellishments but that would have to wait until the next day.

This is the first Christmas quilt I've made and I assure you that the photos do not do it justice.  It's been raining for a week now and the lighting is very poor.

And now...the REVEAL!

I made quite a few changes to Bronwyn's original layout but I didn't alter the stitching designs. What a gifted and generous artist she is!

A few close ups...

The back...

Can I lie on it now?

After that resounding, "NO!", I think I'll go and join Frankie in our bed then.

Move over, Frankie.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed making this quilt.  I changed it somewhat to include the three things I love to do...piecing, stitching and wool-on-cotton applique.  It wasn't a difficult quilt to make but there is a lot of handwork involved.  

I didn't use any Christmas fabrics because I find them too predictable. I pulled various reds, creams and beiges from my stash and purchased a few fat quarters to add a variety of color to the mix.

If you would like to make one for yourself, you may find the free pattern on the Red Brolly blog.  The instructions start here and then you have to scroll forward to the next installment, typically a few posts ahead.  In all there are 30 pages to download and print.

My Comfort & Joy quilt is also finished but you're going to have to wait until next time for the reveal.  Oh happy day!

Stay tuned!