Roughly 141cm x 128cm (55" x 50"), this little 1/2 square triangle layout features 12 fabrics, one of which is a leg from my discarded rose print pyjamas plus white for the borders and Kona Coal on the back. The back also includes a row of the offcuts boardered in white. I wanted to keep the quilt soft so I opted for a double line of straight line diagonal quilting either side of the direction of the triangles in one direction. The white border is stippled in a small meander.
I agonised over the choice of colour thread and tried all sorts of colour combination tests. Whilst I would have preferred the back stitches to be less obvious by using grey in the bobbin, I hated the show through of grey cotton on the top. A case of the lesser of the two evils by choosing neutral for both top and bottom.
The binding is red and white polka dot. I love red and white polka dots but red can be problematic. The fabric used in the body of the quilt was tested before using and didn't run. That used for the binding does so I pre-washed and washed and washed it. You should have seen the dye that escaped leaving several rinses pink. Not even with the addition of salt (which I swear by) helped. And the problem escalates with low water use washing machines (which I have), leaving your lovely quilt ruined with red run stains. So hopefully I now won't have a problem.
The binding is red and white polka dot. I love red and white polka dots but red can be problematic. The fabric used in the body of the quilt was tested before using and didn't run. That used for the binding does so I pre-washed and washed and washed it. You should have seen the dye that escaped leaving several rinses pink. Not even with the addition of salt (which I swear by) helped. And the problem escalates with low water use washing machines (which I have), leaving your lovely quilt ruined with red run stains. So hopefully I now won't have a problem.I really love this little quilt and think that this is the classic hand made quilt I've had sitting in the back of my mind for some time now. And....I'm certainly not done with 1/2 square triangles just yet because a few other possibilities have popped in my head recently. However, I'm resisting the urge and will wait to see what other inspiration strikes on the weekend as Clare, Kay and I head off to Melbourne for the day on Saturday for the Australian Quilt Convention. We're very excited to say the least!
I'm loving the charcoal!
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