The Making of an Heirloom

I was delighted to receive this next collection of Tilda Old Rose a few months ago.

This fabric evoked a strangely strong reaction in me.

It felt like going back to a long ago forgotten time, where the pace of life was slower, the colours warmer and richer, and relationships were deeper and more meaningful.

Can you remember back to the time where there was no social media, no smart phones, and even mobile phones were limited to Maxwell Smart's shoe phone?

The only people who'd heard of you, and that you really cared about were your family and acquaintances that you knew personally? Your friend count didn't matter, because you could count all your friends on ten fingers.

Yes, that time.

I'm dating myself severely here, but I bet many of you can identify. Do you ever look around now at the other diners in a cafe, and see the disconnect... how busy they are not relating?

I'm old enough to remember those long lazy dinners in my Grandma's dark paneled dining room, where the food was old fashioned and the discussions were warm and sometimes even heated.

I remember the floral wall paper, the brocade curtains, and the toilet paper dolly covers that she used to knit with nylon ribbon.

As I felt transported into my long ago, I decided to design a quilt that was old already.

After all, when we start something from scratch, and choose materials, choose a pattern, we are literally creating history for the future.

That's what I love about quilting: we're stitching stories, crafting memories, and showing the next generation that there is still something to slow down for.

This quilt is made of large flowers that echo the floral designs on the fabric, and also echo the old style of quilt design, with corner stones and sashing.

But while the design has symmetry, it's also asymmetrical as the cornerstones add a visual break.

It's a bit unusual, so I've nicknamed this design 'Quirky Pansy'. It echoes the idea that life is and always has been unexpected.

So here's the full shot of the quilt which measures 56" square. Can you spot those quirky pansies??

I've punctuated the flowers with diamonds and flying geese.

It was so fun to keep my nostalgic hat on and think about what Grandma would have done.

I quilted this on the machine with an uneven cross hatch pattern, and then began my own slow stitching adventure into hand quilting.

Hand quilting really is another way to put your own stamp onto a design, and say 'I took the time to smell the roses'.

I'm working away at this slowly, adding more big stitches every time I get the chance.

The background fabric is from Devonstone collection's new range of self patterned basics.

It comprises spots, hearts, stars and squiggles, and gives the right amount of a modern and old fashioned look combined.

My backing fabric choice could only be the romantic cream floral from the Old Rose collection.

Isn't it just the sweetest? Sometimes I design a whole quilt by starting with the back, because sometimes life is back-to-front.

My binding choice is from Tilda's coordinating range of Teatowel prints.

They are a fun collection of different striped patterns, and match perfectly with Plum Garden

I really had my heart set on a fully red binding, but only had enough for a small corner after my last project. I do like the pretty blue, but I think the red suits it even better.

Stacked in the basket are some of the other Tilda quilts that I've completed.

They're some of my favourite quilts yet...I just adore their squishy texture!

And I took my quilt away on our short holiday that we just had over the weekend, and hubby very bravely held it up for me in the main street for the obligatory #quiltsinthewild shot.

Does anyone recognise where we were based on the mural??