always be a unicorn

When I make a quilt it must always have a poem. Sometimes its inspired by a poem, and sometimes one grows on it as it goes along.

I didn't have a poem in mind for this quilt that I've just finished for a friend, so I settled on this piece of useful advice.

Truly words to live by, in my opinion.

Here's the finished quilt miraculously hovering in the garden (if you ignore Mr P's feet at the bottom...)

...and the back, again modelled here by Mr P with a lot of help from Daisy. 

The black panel is made from a fabric which my friend really liked, but she felt it didn't belong with the ones on the front, so I sneaked it onto the back. I think it makes the quilt reversible, depending on your mood and decor. There is just one square of it on the front too.

There's more about this quilt here:

http://molebags.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/inspiration-embracing-beige.html

http://molebags.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/grey-cream-lime-black.html


Still in the garden, I think I'll have to make an exception to my personal 'no beige' rule for this auricula. My Dad grew these from seed and they are such extraordinary colours, beige, maroon, greenish beige, beige-ish pink, wonderful. And apparently they are a bit of a family tradition as my Dad remembers his Dad growing them too.

They make me think of faded Tudor embroidery on some noble gentleman's doublet.

This weekend is for planting out the vegetables which have been waiting for the warmer weather, and then its back to the sewing, although the hand-pieced hexagon quilt is growing, as it can be done in the summerhouse in the evenings. If I was asked to give another piece of useful advice apart from the unicorn one it would be: given the choice between spending your savings on double-glazing the house windows or buying a summerhouse, DEFINITELY buy a summerhouse!