Well I finally did it!
I hope you are not too bored with The Beast, but this will be my last blog about it because I have finished it! Very briefly, it is a memory quilt for my daughter made from my late husband’s Ospreys Rugby shirts. It has been going on for at least the last two years! Here are the links to the other blogs if you are interested:
Beast 1: https://ukqu.co.uk/adventures-of-an-inexperienced-quilter-the-beast-and-other-animals/
Beast 2: https://ukqu.co.uk/adventures-of-an-inexperienced-quilter-the-beast-and-other-animals-again/
Beast 3: https://ukqu.co.uk/adventures-of-an-inexperienced-quilter-notgoing/
I got to mid July, could finally see that there was an end in sight, so I decided it was going to be finished in 2019. The question was – Christmas or the end of August for my daughter’s birthday? I realised that if I let it slide until Christmas 2019 I would probably be asking myself the same question in 2020! So I got on with it.
I set up my 6’x3’ folding table as a permanent fixture downstairs. In my lounge. Yes it got in the way, but it is the only thing that I could quilt The Beast on, so it was essential. Every evening during late July to mid August, I sat and finished off a couple more quilting lines, quilted the parallel lines around the edge (at walking foot width intervals), ensured that my ‘ends’ were all hidden except at the centre and sewed my binding on – machined front, hand sewn back as we do – it felt like miles of it!
Then to the centre of the quilt. I knew that it wasn’t finished. I had buttoned the centre of the quilt using the rubberised buttons from the rugby jersey (because it was too big a quilt even for my large machine to get to the centre!) This caused 2 problems – there was a chunk of the quilt in the centre that was effectively “blank”, and I had also had problems doing my straight line quilting up to the centre – the buttons got in the way!
To fill in the blank space, I had an idea in my head, but I didn’t know whether it was going to work. I photographed the current badge from a jersey – it is a good strong graphic image, meant to be a stylised Osprey head. How to transfer it to the centre of a king sized quilt? I printed it onto a sheet of A4 paper, pinned the paper to the centre of the quilt, tacked the design carefully through the paper, removed the paper and then hand quilted the design, removing the tacking stitches after. I was going to fill in the Osprey outline, but I was so pleased with the ghostly effect that the outline made that I left it at that.
I must say at this point that I am VERY aware of potential copyright issues here as I have used a recognised emblem of a local commercial organisation, and have been concerned that I might be skirting around the edge of such issues. I need to emphasise that this quilt is for my daughter’s benefit only, as a reminder of her dad, and will never be sold on or used for any commercial purpose. I have also been in contact with Ospreys Rugby to ensure I have their permission to use the emblem in this way.
Ok – to tidy up the ends of quilting near the buttons. I had left long ends of thread to hand quilt up to the buttons, but it looked awful – a kind of “that’ll do” that I really wasn’t happy with. So off to find the leftovers from the rugby jerseys! Like most quilters, the hoarding tendency is strong in me so I still had all of the tiny little bits that were left over from the dismantling of the jerseys. I knew that there was some reinforcing tape from around the necklines of the jerseys that might work. There was just enough to cover the ratty bits of stitching, providing a frame for the ghostly Osprey in the centre, while reinforcing the Ospreys Rugby connection.
It was finished. I could not believe it. I still had several days to go to my daughter’s birthday too!
There was still the question of naming the quilt though. “The Beast” was a joke name for it – it was soooo big and soooo heavy to get through a domestic sewing machine, and I was convinced it was fighting back on occasion.
So it got to my daughter’s birthday. She was aware that the quilt had been underway forever, but I had not let on that I was even nearly finished for several months, so she had no idea. I presented it to her on her birthday, all wrapped up, and her reaction was priceless.
“Oh Mam! You finished it!”
However, I took it back from her virtually immediately as I still needed to decide on a name and do the label. I should say here I don’t often do quilt labels, but this one needed it.
I have decided. The quilt is called “Rugby Dad”, and it is to be used – not folded up in a cupboard. That way, whenever she needs it, my daughter can still get a hug from her dad.
Breaking news: I have been in correspondence with Ospreys Rugby, partly about the copyright issue and partly thinking that they might like to see it. I have had an ok on the copyright in this case, and they are planning to launch a “Sporting Memories” campaign soon, and would like to use it as part of that! My husband would be so delighted, but I must make sure that my daughter gets her quilt back soon!
Now then – what next? 🙂 Oh yes – a 50th birthday lap quilt to be made in about 2 weeks!
I must add some thanks:
– Elaine and Ruth – you got me into this in the first place!
– My quilting group, Cwiltwyr Ystradgynlais / Ystradgynlais Quilters, for putting up with my interminable whinging that I could not do this, along with occasional swearing! Special mention to my tall friends Carolyn and Sally from the group, who held up the quilt for photographs!
– Dawn Cameron-Dick – we have never met face to face, but your kind advice and unstinting encouragement have been a real tonic in my “I cannot do this” moments. I look forward to finally meeting you one day!
– All of the members of the UK Quilters United Facebook group – in particular (but not exclusively) those I have met in person. I have occasionally needed to ask for advice or just vent, and every person who has responded has contributed to this quilt.
– Ospreys Rugby for giving my late husband so much pleasure – and heartache on occasion!
I am sure that I have forgotten to mention people that I should thank – but I hope that I thanked you at the time. Please excuse my slightly overwhelmed memory and take this as a huge thank you!
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