The Lion

OMG I can’t quite believe that this project started in 2016 is complete. The pattern is The Lion by Violetcraft and I purchased a kit from Hawthorne Threads. I started quilting this last year but a crisis of confidence meant that I took it off the machine and unpicked the lot. I browsed the internet for inspiration and Trudi Wood’s version which I had seen at Festival of quilts was closer to what I had in mind than the matchstick quilting used by many. I printed an A4 picture of the quilt and started drawing lines. I started my quilting journey by quilting the grey background with swirls and pebbles. For some reason I had thought that starting at the bottom was a good idea so after finishing the background quilting, I turned the quilt 180 degrees. I changed the thread to a variegated peach thread and started to quilt.

Would the back of the quit have excess fabric in areas due to turning the quilt? Spoiler alert – the back was perfect. Once I started on the face, it moved quicker than I had hoped possible. I wanted it finished to enter into the Jersey Eisteddfod and the hand in date for physical entries is 2 March, no pressure.

Having taken the quilt off the frame, I cleared the kitchen island and trimmed the quilt ready for binding. I had just enough of the grey to cut seven 2” strips and only needed six. I was so engrossed in trimming and machining the binding to the font of the quilt that I forgot to eat breakfast!! I started stitching the binding down by hand on Wednesday afternoon and slowly got two and a half sides done. Thursday I woke early, so came downstairs to sew the rest of the binding and the sleeve down. 

I am thrilled with how it has come out and have more confidence in my ability to free machine quilt on my long arm, though a lot more practice is need and I finished two days ahead of my deadline. Time to sew on labels to all of my entries.