Celestial Stars

My aunt had a significant birthday last November and I wanted to make her a quilt.  She lives in England, so the plan was that I would finish it in time for my friend to take over in August.  I tried hard to meet this deadline, but due to my health, it didn't happen.  I had other friends who went over in September, but again, it didn't happen.

My aunt lives in a gorgeous house in Bury St Edmunds, near Cambridge.  Their sitting room is large and overlooks their garden.  They have a white chaise lounge in the room which is where I pictured a quilt draping which Susan could snuggle under while reading a book or watching TV.  Not everyone is into quilts, so I asked her if the idea of owning a quilt appealed and for tips on colours and types of fabric she likes.  Her response was positive and she gave me plenty of ideas for choice of colour and fabric.

Last June, I went to the Craft Fair with my good friend Rhonda to find fabric.  Rhonda has a great eye for colour and puts fabrics together that I would never think about combining - she is clever and creative.  We had fun together browsing the many stalls, and at times overwhelmed by choice, colour, noise, crowds of people and thought we would never find anything.  However, Rhonda spotted some unusual fabrics - Indonesian batiks and we were instantly captivated by their colours and uniqueness.  We chose an enormous range of fat quarters and later found another shop that also sold them, so I selected a few more.  At that time, I had no idea what shape the quilt would take, but I had heaps of fabric.

I took some photos of quilts on display and was inspired by one which featured a star pattern.  Susan's house is very traditional, so I thought I would go with a traditional pattern, using these gorgeous non traditional fabrics.  Susan lived for a number of years in Vietnam teaching English to doctors and nurses, while living with a local family.  I thought she would love these fabrics and remind her of happy years spent in South-East Asia.

Maths has never been one of my strengths, so doing calculations when designing a quilt is the most difficult aspect.  Unfortunately, while doing most of the calculating, I had a coddled head - mostly from migraine, so I ended up designing and making a quilt much larger than intended, especially as I had to get it to England without knowing anyone who could take it in their suitcase for me.

I finally finished the quilt in early January, just before Keith finished his PhD, which is another story entirely.  With much fear and trepidation, I packed it and posted it via air mail and hoped it would arrive safely.  A week later, in fact, on Australia Day, it reached its destination and Susan loves it.  It will live on her white lounge happily and I am much relieved.  I called the quilt Celestial Stars, as the colours seem to sparkle - they have a life of their own.  I have heaps of this fabric left, so I am experimenting with making bags with the leftover pieces.