ozcountryquiltingmum

An Easter post

First, a message from my children:-

I think the only card missing is the one from German, apparently that didn't get home or perhaps that is the only one they are managing to keep secret for Easter Sunday!

A special Church based quilting post today.

I haven't before shown the project that consumed the first half of last year, our Church Ladies Fellowship 80th Anniversary commemoration quilt.

It was an idea of mine from an old picture I found in a quilting book. Each Church member who wanted to contribute chose their favourite Bible Verse and for $10 we stitched the Bible Verse into the quilt. There were around 50 contributors and I had another 5 sewers so I only had to stitch about 15 and then put the whole thing together.

The variety of stitchers made it interesting. There is quite a variety of styles just in backstitch but i think that added to the individuality of the quilt.

I printed all the Bible verses out in Tempus Sans or Perpetua font (I can't recall which!) and traced them on some of my white sheridan sheeting offcuts with the lightbox and the blue wash away pen. I then basted them to thin wadding and handed them out to the stitchers. Pre-wadding them eliminated all the problem of seeing your work and knots from the front.

When I received them back I trimmed them all to the same size, sewed them to the sashings with my friend Robyn, added calico to the back, had a few experts at quilters help me hide all my transgressions and straighten it all up qith the binding and hey presto! There are just a few quilting rows on the back to further hold it together. It is quite large and difficult to work with.(Each of the verse blocks is about 12 inches.)

After being displayed at various events and receiving a highly commended in our Church visual arts awards, it was finally hung in the Church for this year's Harvest Thanksgiving festival.

I can see it very clearly from my seat and love the idea of the people who take over my pew in years to come being able to see it as well.

My children are on a sleepover at their grandparents, today they are being "fishers of fish" and attempting to catch their own Good Friday meal, we will just stick to hot cross buns and fish and chips.

A safe and blessed Easter to all.