Lady Wigram

I'm thrilled to be able to show this quilt that I've been secretly stitching for the last six months.  I gifted it to my mother in law yesterday, so now I can share it with you all.

My mother in law has always admired everything I make, but she isn't a quilter herself.  When my mother and father in law decided to move into a retirement village, I thought it was time I made them a quilt for their new home.

This pattern is called Bella Ruby and it's designed by Emma Di Stefano who owns Tree House Textiles in Melbourne, Australia. I met Emma at AQC in Melbourne, and she had her Bella Ruby quilt on display.  I loved the design, so I purchased the acrylic templates and started my own version for my mother in law.

People have commented that these aren't my usual fabric choices, and they're not, but I think it's important to make a gift that the recipient will like. My mother in law has always loved the burgundy colour in the William Morris fabric below.  I thought she would like the feed sack prints with all the little flowers in them.

Emma designed the pattern for hand piecing, although it is possible to machine piece it if you don't mind sewing Y seams.  I always planned to hand quilt this quilt, because if a top is hand pieced, it definitely deserves to be hand quilted! I used a combination of Aurifil 12wt and 28wt.  I use 12wt where it shows, and 28wt in the ditches.

I even tried some variegated Aurifil threads this time.

I've called this quilt "Lady Wigram" because my in laws now live in a suburb of Christchurch called Wigram.  Lady Wigram and her husband Sir Henry Francis Wigram, are both important figures in New Zealand's history. They have a strong connection with aviation history, and my husband thinks the 8 pointed stars look like propellers on planes.

I love how it's turned out, but more importantly, I'm thrilled that my mother in law loves it.

Quilt facts:
Pattern - acrylic templates from Tree House Textiles in Melbourne, Australia
Construction - I used the acrylic templates to hand cut the pieces, and then hand pieced them together.
Quilting - hand quilted with Aurifil 12wt and 28wt.
Size - 64" wide x 66" high  (163cm x 168cm)