Calabash Revealed

My quilt history is working backwards. This is my second full size quilt and so far the last. Gwent Quilters' library provided the inspiration with the appropriately named Quilting Inspirations from Africa by Kaye England and Mary Elizabeth Johnson. A fabulous book, everyone who has seen it has been knocked out by the gorgeous interpretations using fabulous African fabrics. It went back to the library after 10 months but only after I'd bought my own copy!

 Kalahari Calabash was chosen because I loved it.Also it was a simple large log cabin 14" block and only needed 12 so seemed achievable. I had fallen for the batik fabrics at last October's Malvern show without anything in mind and as you can see they were an instant success teamed with the brown.

 Adding the vine part was fun and friends who popped round helped with the arrangement. It was good to use some scraps from Harriet's quilt, my first, for the leaves

Of course a few extras were needed for the border and an inner frame. All from the same shop (am I allowed to say that one in Hereford?) who were hugely helpful

As a beginner I found the shadow quilting of the blocks not at all easy and there was a fair bit of undoing before I was satisfied. 


Michelle our teacher at evening class suggested big stitch quilting in a thick variegated thread (Stef Francis ?5) to highlight the leaves of the calabash vine which really made all the difference.


Compared to the straight line quilting, the last minute vermicelli  free motion infill on the brown was a breeze.










It's on my bed now and I sleep under it every night and love it every day.  Technically it's not finished as I still have to make a label, something else new to learn....