Christmas Gold

14th January 2005

to

2.25pm, 16th December 2006

The blocks were made for me by members of the

Golden Harvest Quilters

as farewell gift, and came with a piece of fabric to match, a plant

and Life Membership,

all presented one after the other when I visited them on a meeting day in August, after the 2004 Retreats.

As those who were there on the day I received my blocks should know, I was thrilled, and challenged! I had to think about how I would put them together while I unpacked, and for some time after.

The first problem was that here were so many blocks that I would have to make lots of wall hangings. Or a quilt! And if it was to be a quilt, how about queen size for our bed, and leave out the wadding so we would actually use it during summer.

(The spare bed was covered when I won the ‘Can’t see the forest for the trees’ blocks all those years ago at Corny Point.)

The techniques used include applique, foundation piecing, embroidery and cross stitch, and there are buttons of all sorts and other trims added!

The special fabric was purchased from Seymour Crafts, so I visited Ally to add some other matching fabrics to the stash, just in case I needed them for this project.

Before the blocks became threadbare from me playing with them,

I put the small borders around each one in Jan 2005, and got them together, though still ragged around the edges two days later.

The quilt was put together one piece at a time, using those fabrics from Ally and others from the stash, and the time spread itself over two years.

The project was left a bit rough around the edges for more thinking time while I planned the border.

It came out again in May 2006 and but it was not until the day the Golden Girls celebrated their 20th birthday on Wednesday 13th September 2006 that it became less ragged.

On that day Glenice, Vonnie, Marlene S and Ruth C

joined Helen, Joy and me as Life Members.

Finished putting the top together on the day the Golden Girls were celebrating our 20th birthday, (13th September 2006)

Bought the backing in November 2006, and did the bulk of the machine quilting

on Dec 13th, 2006, while the Golden Girls were celebrating Christmas together

at the home of Judy Neate, Hardwick Bay.

The binding was stitched on, and partly stitched down, on 15th of December,

and it was on the bed within five minutes of the final stitch going in

at 2.25pm on December 16th 2006

It looks absolutely wonderful, and every time Brian wiggles a toe bells ring! (I’m not telling you what is going on when the bells ring for extended periods of time, but we will have to curtail that sort of activity while we have guests!)

I am delighted with the results, and will be sad to put it away during the colder months, but what a thrill it will be to get it out when the Christmas decorations come out for their annual airing.

It is unlikely that I will ever forget the Golden Harvest Quilters, but I have no doubt that the memories will come back every Christmas despite age and old timers disease!

Flat quilted (no wadding) by machine

and used on our bed during the Christmas season.