Sun on the Sea

I finally finished this quilt for Mum. I started making it in early 2006, after spending a number of months collecting fabrics. My dear friend Libby Lukins helped me choose some of them. I then had my stroke which made it difficult to sew, as my hands shook constantly from the medication I was taking, and I couldn't really concentrate. However, I did spend time sitting in our garden sorting the fabric into piles for each square - 63 squares, each with 18 rectangles! Am I mad or what?

I love the way sun shines on the water and makes it sparkle. During 2006, I walked a lot, as this was something I could do. One of my favourite walks was around Iron Cove Bay and depending on the time of day, the sun would reflect on the water and shimmer. Later in the afternoon, the colours would be completely different. Another of my favourite walks is up at my Mum's place - she lives at MacMasters Beach and again, the sun on the sea, particularly in the late afternoon is gorgeous. I have tried to capture some of these colours in this quilt.

My friends Silvia and Margo helped me pin this quilt ready for me to hand quilt at the beginning of 2007. However, it was such a large project that I put it off. Unfortunately, my daughter Susannah needed the pins in my quilt to pin her quilt for her major textiles project, so she took all the pins out - much to my dismay. She promised to repin my quilt, but this didn't happen until earlier this year. I finally started the quilting in May and finished it in August.

Mum was so excited. I gave it to her at my birthday barbeque in our garden. However, she is not able to take it home for another six months, as it is going to be displayed at the State Library of NSW over summer in a staff exhibition called "Unclassified". Much to my surprise, they have selected two of my quilts to display.

These photos capture what inspired this quilt: