Last week I described the steps involved in planning, piecing and sewing together all the snowball blocks made by Sydney Anglican ministry wives into a quilt fit for an Archbishop's wife.
We handed it over to Linda Billett and gave her carte blanche to quilt it as she thought best.
Good move! Though these indoor pics are poor in that they don't show the true colours of the fabrics, the angled lighting reveals Linda's stunning work in all it's beauty
Di B (not a ministry wife, but my good quilting buddy) helped with the task of hand stitching down the binding, which we tackled together, sitting and working on opposite sides of the quilt.
To be strictly accurate, by this point I myself was no longer a ministry wife, my clergyman DH having died suddenly and unexpectedly just a few months earlier. So co-ordinating this quilt was my last task before 'retiring'.
The final stitch!
Then it was time for a photographic session in my very favourite setting, Di B's harbourside garden.
We used one of the navy prints from the snowball corners for the bindings, and it think it adds a little fun and lightness to the finish.
One of our ministry wives quilt committee, Bronwen, made this simple shoulder bag for Christine with some of the extra blocks we received.
And this larger quilt bag has a series of cheeky blocks with the words of the rhyme 'Run, Rabbit, Run', a nod to Christine's interest in, and study of, children's books.
The quilt was presented to Christine and Peter a year ago last week (I did say this was a very overdue blog post!) and they have said the nicest things about our gift.
Our quilt took 21 months from that start in my living room to presentation, and is a tribute, both to the skill of all the quiltmakers who worked on it, and to Christine Jensen who led the Sydney Anglican ministry wives so humbly and graciously for 12 years while her husband Peter was Archbishop.
what a lovely quilt! and such a great gift to give. I started to read your blog about the time you were moving out of the house you had shared with your husband and beginning your new life without him. I went back and read the link you gave and was so touched and then read the links at the bottom of the post as well. You are gifted with writing well - and a great quilter too :)
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous! Linda did such a nice job with the quilting, which really makes all that piecing come to life. I can't believe you made it so long ago! But what a lovely gift. I am certain Christine and Peter love and cherish it.
ReplyDeleteOops! Somehow, my comment ended up on the previous post! See? I was so overwhelmed I couldn't even handle leaving a comment!! Beautiful, Di. Absolutely stunning. You all did an amazing job!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a exquisite quilt, the quilting is exceptional, the feathers in the snowballs are so effective!! I always enjoy your finished quilt photos too.
ReplyDeleteDi, that is so beautiful and I know it will be treasured. I see, too, that the quilting looks like scallop shells - and that is the symbol of St James, and of pilgrims everywhere. But I reckon you would know that better than I do.
ReplyDeleteSo stunning! I know they will treasure it. blessings, marlene
ReplyDeleteDi I am so impressed with the quilt! It is stunning! Never thought a snowball quilt could look like this. Gorgeous! The quilting design is fabulous.
ReplyDeletethis is so lovely certainly a classic because even after all this time it is so current and so filled with love.you can feel it
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous quilt!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful quilt. The border fabric just sets it off. The quilting is beautiful. Archbishop Jensen and Christine look very chuffed with their gift.
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