Irish fields
A while ago, I showed you my Wonky Cross quilt, which I made with the plan that it would be my memory quilt of the epic trip we've been on. I said that my original vision was that it would be evocative of the fields and pastures that are were around me in Ireland... and I also mentioned that, as much as I really love the quilt top, it hasn't necessarily delivered on the whole fields thing.
You see, the country is just so *green*. It is impossible to capture on camera (at least for me with my incredibly limited photography skills) just how many shades of green there are on our drives across country. I wish I could show you the field after field, divided by cobblestone walls, but I just don't have the skills to do it justice.
So after that ramble, I need to confess that while my wonky crosses make me happy, they just don't feel *green* enough for me, at least not to reflect my time in Ireland.
Meanwhile, as I worked away on the wonky crosses, making what felt like piecing a bajillion crosses, I made sure to pop any scraps to one side knowing that they would be of use at some point (keeping in mind that I had a very limited budget and space and time while in Ireland, so was on a mission to use whatever I purchased and not create a stash). And at the end of the making crosses, I had a bunch of leftover green strips. And as the jigsawing of the crosses started to stress me out, I started to pull out this little pile of strips...
I was really just making it up as I went along. In my head I thought maybe this could be a baby gift for one of my *many* pregnant friends/family members (someone spiked the water when we left, I swear). But the more I sewed the more I loved it for me.
It is, in essence, just a big log cabin. I started with the smaller scraps and worked round and round from there. And my favourite bits are where I've added in the teeny tiny scraps into the longer sides. I feel like they add the character.
This feels exactly the way I wanted it to. Rich and lush and like you could squish the grass between your toes; interspersed with the slightly dryer patches where there's been no water, or a recent harvest; mixed with the really dark greens of the hedgerows and the woodland. There's lots of white in there too (some of my leftovers from the Chained Together Quilt), which I think works, but I'm not sure why... maybe it's fences? or clouds? or maybe, just a nice place for the eyes to rest.
It's a good single bed size (I didn't purchase a tape measure as part of my "quilting supplies" so I made Ashley lie down under it to make sure it fits a person, lol). I have grand plans on tying this quilt, which I've never done before, but the idea popped into my head, early in the process, and has stuck there, so I figured I'd give it a go, what's the worst that can happen, right!
And in finishing this top there are 2 really good wins. First is, that I have less and a 1/4 yard left of all those greens (in total, including scraps). Huzzah for the using of all the materials!! Some might even argue that this is a scrap quilt, as it is made *completely* out of leftovers from my first 2 "Irish" Quilts. Personally, it's still a little too "curated" for me to label it that way myself, but the thought that I *could* makes me very happy.
Secondly, Ashley said that he really likes it. Now this is a proper win in my books, as he often doesn't even notice what I sew, but he was using one of my quilts on the bed while we were in Dublin, and I think it has made him appreciate them a little more. So much, that this quilt is likely destined to be "his" quilt. You see, Ashley is one of those people who is ridiculously warm blooded, and we've spent years debating the merits of various bed linens. But it turns out, a light quilt is just right for him, and I am super excited by this discovery,
And that's it. My Irish Fields quilt. I have loved being In Ireland, and loved the adventure of walking away from our real lives for a few months. Ireland is beautiful, and friendly and felt like home from the minute we arrived, so I will miss it (once I get over the joy of being home) and I know that this quilt will bring back all those memories for years and years to come. That's one more reason to love quilts, right.
And the best part of the whole adventure has been spending proper time with my husband, and I love, love, love that I got to have this experience with him.
And now that I'm home and reunited with my sewing room (swoon), I have been joyously diving into the stash and the WIPs, and the Guild, and reveling in all the things I've missed. :-D
E xx
You see, the country is just so *green*. It is impossible to capture on camera (at least for me with my incredibly limited photography skills) just how many shades of green there are on our drives across country. I wish I could show you the field after field, divided by cobblestone walls, but I just don't have the skills to do it justice.
 |
| Hill of Slane |
 |
| View from the Hill of Slane |
Meanwhile, as I worked away on the wonky crosses, making what felt like piecing a bajillion crosses, I made sure to pop any scraps to one side knowing that they would be of use at some point (keeping in mind that I had a very limited budget and space and time while in Ireland, so was on a mission to use whatever I purchased and not create a stash). And at the end of the making crosses, I had a bunch of leftover green strips. And as the jigsawing of the crosses started to stress me out, I started to pull out this little pile of strips...
I was really just making it up as I went along. In my head I thought maybe this could be a baby gift for one of my *many* pregnant friends/family members (someone spiked the water when we left, I swear). But the more I sewed the more I loved it for me.
It is, in essence, just a big log cabin. I started with the smaller scraps and worked round and round from there. And my favourite bits are where I've added in the teeny tiny scraps into the longer sides. I feel like they add the character.
This feels exactly the way I wanted it to. Rich and lush and like you could squish the grass between your toes; interspersed with the slightly dryer patches where there's been no water, or a recent harvest; mixed with the really dark greens of the hedgerows and the woodland. There's lots of white in there too (some of my leftovers from the Chained Together Quilt), which I think works, but I'm not sure why... maybe it's fences? or clouds? or maybe, just a nice place for the eyes to rest.
And in finishing this top there are 2 really good wins. First is, that I have less and a 1/4 yard left of all those greens (in total, including scraps). Huzzah for the using of all the materials!! Some might even argue that this is a scrap quilt, as it is made *completely* out of leftovers from my first 2 "Irish" Quilts. Personally, it's still a little too "curated" for me to label it that way myself, but the thought that I *could* makes me very happy.
Secondly, Ashley said that he really likes it. Now this is a proper win in my books, as he often doesn't even notice what I sew, but he was using one of my quilts on the bed while we were in Dublin, and I think it has made him appreciate them a little more. So much, that this quilt is likely destined to be "his" quilt. You see, Ashley is one of those people who is ridiculously warm blooded, and we've spent years debating the merits of various bed linens. But it turns out, a light quilt is just right for him, and I am super excited by this discovery,
And that's it. My Irish Fields quilt. I have loved being In Ireland, and loved the adventure of walking away from our real lives for a few months. Ireland is beautiful, and friendly and felt like home from the minute we arrived, so I will miss it (once I get over the joy of being home) and I know that this quilt will bring back all those memories for years and years to come. That's one more reason to love quilts, right.
And the best part of the whole adventure has been spending proper time with my husband, and I love, love, love that I got to have this experience with him.
And now that I'm home and reunited with my sewing room (swoon), I have been joyously diving into the stash and the WIPs, and the Guild, and reveling in all the things I've missed. :-D
E xx
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E xx