I finished the quilt for a friends little (unborn)baby - to go with the little knitted jacket I did. The bobble piece of knitted/felted shibori is in the centre top of the quilt - a perfect little head rest! I almost didn't put it on, having ummed and ahhed for weeks about whether it was right, but it's kind of ok on there, and the colour goes really well with the rest of the quilt. I machine quilted lines going in both horizontal and vertical directions over the entire piece, and the back is a very soft charcoal grey fleece - perfect for babies and extra padding on a hard floor if used as a play mat. I love it, and it will be sad to see it leave the house, but I hope that the recipient gets as much use and joy out of it as I had making it.
I am so grateful to everyone who wrote a comment on my last post - it means so much to me to see what people like, and to get feedback for these things. I'm really pleased with the way the set turned out for my back-tack person, and I really hope they like it all as well. Thankyou also to those people who have contacted me about buying any further sets I make - I've already started cutting...! A lot of you asked where the Apple fabric is from, and I feel I need to make a couple of explanations here because I'm getting asked this a lot, not just from the last post but from other posts as well.
The Apple fabric is from Cotton Bow Wow in Japan. I feel incredibly fortunate that someone offered to help purchase fabric from this amazing shop, and was prepared to go out of her way and spend a great deal of her time and effort completing the order. Ordering from Cotton Bow Wow isn't easy, and yes, it took time and effort and patience. And money. I will not pretend this was an easy transaction, although for next time it would be easier because we'd know what to do and what to expect. Additional charges cropped up, and most people would be amazed at how much the final order cost - without the fabric included. However, we bought a lot of fabric between us, and so it was worthwhile. But for the odd half metre - forget it. This fabric, as well as any others from the collection I got, are sacred to me, and I use them sparingly or for special projects.
I've also been asked a number of times where I get the Florence Broadhurst fabric from. I've said in previous posts that I wont link to the site for this: google it and you'll get it up pretty quickly anyway, but it's a trade only password protected site, and you'd need to proof you're trade and a serious buyer to get a password. No I will not give my password out. I'm sorry, but this fabric is printed exclusively by Signature Prints, and they deserve to know the people registering with them are serious about the use of their fabrics, and I will respect that. I'm not trying to be difficult, but I also know how much this stuff is, and it's not cheap, and for that reason as well, I don't want to mess people around, and certainly not Signature Prints. Finally, this is commercial grade fabric. It's mainly printed on suedette fabrics, or heavy duty canvas, making it difficult to use for small projects. Most of the prints - in fact pretty much all of the prints, are large scale and really meant for large scale use, so their application can be limited.
When I can I will always link to sites where I know fabrics can be purchased from, and if I haven't linked, it's because there isn't a decent web site, or I've linked numerous times before. Phew. This seems like a mammoth post full of hard lined information!! It wasn't meant to be, but I just don't have the time to answer everyones questions individually at the moment, so I'm trying to sift through backlogs quickly by answering questions here. Sorry if that's impersonal, and it's not the way I usually do things - I will always try and answer peoples questions directly when I can. But right now....I'm time strapped and deadlined out :)
The quilt is gorgeous. She's going to be blown away.
Posted by: cari | October 10, 2005 at 01:42 AM
Absolutely gorgeous quilt! Whoever the little one is will truly enjoy, I'm sure.
Posted by: Robyn | October 10, 2005 at 03:01 AM
Love the quilt! That is one lucky baby!!
Thanks for the info on the fabrics. Do you know if Bow Wow has an actual store in Japan, or just a website? I am going to Tokyo and if it is there... I would love to visit! I'd even pick you up something special!!
Posted by: Mary | October 10, 2005 at 03:16 AM
that quilt is absolutely gorgeous. you have one lucky friend! :)
Posted by: Karin | October 10, 2005 at 03:41 AM
love the quilt!
Posted by: batixa | October 10, 2005 at 05:52 AM
your quilt is so lovely!!!
at first I wasn't sure to figure out how you wanted to include the bobble knitted part in it...but now I admit it's a clever idea !
it's gonna be warm and soft under his/her head.
lucky baby
Posted by: karen in Toronto | October 10, 2005 at 05:55 AM
Gorgeous quilt, I love the top stitiching. It really finishes it off.
Posted by: Belinda Andresson | October 10, 2005 at 07:46 AM
*Love* it!! Fabric, color, texture, style - your quilt has it all!
Posted by: Cassi | October 10, 2005 at 08:08 AM
the quilt looks totally amazing and beautiful...
Posted by: sarah | October 10, 2005 at 08:20 AM
Great quilt! I think it is amazing. How could the baby not love it?
Posted by: amanda8 | October 10, 2005 at 01:35 PM
A beauty!
Posted by: Lizette | October 10, 2005 at 02:00 PM
this is just so lovely, what a beautiful fabric combination, i especially love the red and whites next to the charcoal on the back. well done.
Posted by: kath | October 10, 2005 at 02:30 PM
WOW! You always impress me with your beautiful work. It's gorgeous!
Posted by: Nichola | October 10, 2005 at 02:40 PM
That is a gorgeous quilt. You have a very lucky friend.
Posted by: tacha | October 10, 2005 at 08:48 PM
The quilt is beautiful.
Posted by: Lu | October 11, 2005 at 12:11 AM
The quilt is stunning! The shibori knitting looks amazing in there, and it's something I would never have thought to do, combining the knitwork with quilting! Beautiful.
Posted by: Bertha | October 11, 2005 at 01:03 AM
Fabbydoolidoozy, as they say in the Katie Morag story books (which come highly recommended - lovely illustrations in watercolour and pen, plus great stories. Written by Mairi Hedderwick). This is a wonderful gift. I can understand why it's so hard to part with.
Posted by: Jane | October 11, 2005 at 04:41 AM
oh my god. That red shibori part makes me drool....*slobber. slurp*
Posted by: john | October 11, 2005 at 08:43 AM
Wow! Stunning quilt! one lucky baby is sure to be warm this winter.
BTW: I'm sure your buddy will LOVE their goodies...I know I would:o)
Where did you get your labels made?
Posted by: Ariane | October 12, 2005 at 03:37 AM
you are so very talented, al, and you have such an eye for color and fabric and patterning. takes my breath away.
Posted by: lisa | October 12, 2005 at 03:38 AM
I adore your quilt- it is just divine. You inspired me to go out and buy some fabrics to start some projects of my own... and i ended up spending far too much money on scraps of material!
I also love your collection of japanese craft books. Can you tell me how you got hold of them? Are they available in Australia or online?
Posted by: jenny | October 12, 2005 at 12:14 PM
Very,very beautiful.
: )
Posted by: lyn | October 13, 2005 at 06:24 PM
wow. just wow.
Posted by: jess | October 31, 2005 at 01:07 PM