Friday 1 November 2019

Tongariro Crossing (and the Peacock Party)

I've finished my Sue Spargo quilt and I love it.



Sue Spargo has called this pattern "Nature Trail", but my quilt doesn't look anything like a walk in the woods.  The colours in my quilt make me think of a volcano, so I'm calling my version "Tongariro Crossing".

The Tongariro Crossing is 20km (12 mile) hike across an active volcano in the middle of New Zealand's North Island.  Click here for details.  There are trees and birds at the start and end of the track, but up at the summit it's very barren and you can see into the crater lake of the volcano.  The website recommends that people check the level of volcanic activity before they set out!!!  https://www.geonet.org.nz/volcano/tongariro  Don't worry, the track will be closed if there's any danger.

I haven't done the Tongariro Crossing hike, and I don't intend to, but I've seen plenty of photos and it does look amazing.



I made this quilt during a mystery stitch along with Sue Spargo in 2016.  My inspiration fabric was this beautiful Anna Maria Horner fabric pictured above, called Folk Song Minor Chords. I also wanted to include some of this fabric below in this quilt:


Each month Sue released another pattern and most of them included some hand embroidery.  I loved doing the hand stitching, and I learnt some new stitches with the help of my Sue Spargo Creative Stitching book.





I used Sue Spargo's Wonderfil variegated threads for most of the hand stitching. These threads are Perle 8 thickness and made by Wonderfil. Lots of shops stock them because they are great for embellishing quilts. I love using them for wool felt applique. 






Yes, those Wonderfil threads are addictive.  I won't tell you how many I have in my cupboard.

I put stabiliser on the back of my blocks to support the hand embroidery, but then I realised that I wouldn't be able to hand quilt it.  So I did a bit of machine quilting myself, but it wasn't enough and I was too timid to try free motion quilting on this quilt.  Although it's not a big quilt, it is quite heavy due to the extra stabiliser, and I couldn't move it freely on my domestic Bernina.

So a few months ago I took it into my local long arm quilter, Sue Burnett at Busy Bee Quilt Shop, and she kindly finished it for me.  I suspect finishing someone else's quilting is like doing sewing repairs, so I do appreciate Sue helping me out.



I'd had the binding cut and waiting in the cupboard for more than a year, so it only took a day or two to put it on.  Now my quilt is finished!!!

Size: 49' x 64" (124cam x 162cam)
Pattern: Nature Trail by Sue Spargo


Now it's time for the Peacock Party.  What have you been up to this week? Feel free to link up a recent blog post below.


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter




17 comments:

Marly said...

I love this result; it's such a wonderful juxtaposition of colourful fabrics and threads. I like your story of the volcano. I once climbed Vesuvius, with a guide, and the path suddenly stopped ... it had collapsed into the crater during the previous night!

Gretchen Weaver said...

Your quilt is so warm and vibrant! I love the embroidery you added. Happy Stitching!

Turid said...

What a lovely quilt, both the colours and the quilting. Have a nice weekend!

Cathy Melancon said...

Wendy! This is spectacular and so stunning! Your embroidery is gorgeous and really adds another dimension to this quilt!! She’s a beauty and I know you must be so proud!!! Love it!!

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Amazing quilt! Love the bright colors and embroidery
The only think I don't like at all is the verifying system for the comments, I tried 6 times already! Again one more time, and if I don't succeed, I will quit

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I love your quilt and all the hand embroidery is so pretty - that thread really stands out I will need to look for some

Alison V. said...

This is so gorgeous!

chrisknits said...

What a gorgeous quilt! I love all the hand stitching.

Melva said...

What a fabulous quilt. Rich in color and texture. Nice job!
MelvaLovesScraps@NolanQualityCustoms.com

Jayne said...

There is an explosion of color in this gorgeous quilt! I love the hand stitching detail you've added throughout this quilt! It's beautiful!

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

I love this beautiful quilt. The colorful fabric and the beautiful hand embroidery are such wonderful pairings. It must have been challenging to embroider through the stabilized backing on the fabric. It's one thing on a machine but completely different by hand!! As always, I marvel at how truly talented you are. Thank you for sharing this beauty.

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

Beautiful stitching and the color palette is so rich and intense. Love it!

FlourishingPalms said...

You sure know how to use Anne Maria Horner fabrics in a quilt, and embellish beautifully with hand-stitching. Such a lovely quilt, and a great skill you have. Thanks for sharing!

Barb N said...

Love those colors, and the embroidery just enhances it all the more! Fun, fun!

Gemini Jen NZ said...

I love the name, and what an absolute treasure of a quilt you have created - wow!!

Sarah said...

This quilt is gorgeous. I love sue spargos embroidery projects too and you've made a fabulous job of it!

audrey said...

This is a fantastic quilt! Love how rich it is and the stitching. Wow. Just wow!!