Saturday 16 August 2014

Surprise!



I was just relaxing in my yard, drinking tea with a friend, hanging out the last of my washing, when suddenly, a lovely bunch of friends arrived with flowers and a birthday cake! What a lovely surprise when it happens that Tim's away skiing for the weekend, and I'd just started to grow bored of playing Hungry Hippos!
We sat around and sipped from delightful little teacups, and ate yummy fruit and cheese, and told stories about disastrous holidays. And then I remembered that this quilt needed photos! And while I don't have the loveliest yard at the moment, having 2 adults on quilt holding duty, one on baby holding duty, and the others listening to the big kids' constant chatter, made the shoot more than successful!


This lovely group of women are part of an intentional, urban community, that Tim and I have lead for almost 6 years. Half way through our degrees, we decided that university held the opportunity to be a rich time of community, discussion, creativity and thinking through our faith together. We set up a kind of 'home church' as part of Cornerstone Community here in Newcastle, with other student friends.


Six years is a long time in a family's life. Long enough for the first baby to be school aged, and for 2 sisters to come along. Long enough for routines and priorities to change. Long enough to see friends start and finish their degrees and move to new places. We are less involved these days than we used to be, less available for barbecues and concerts and craft afternoons. So it's a precious gift when a pre-prepared party arrives at our door, when these adults jump on the trampoline and hide in the cubby house, cuddle a baby, boil the kettle, hold a quilt. It's why I've started making these Graduation Quilts, for these friends that have moved on, or will finish up at the end of the year. I wanted to thank them for their generous gifts of time and friendship, washing the dishes, watching the kids so Tim and I can go out for dinner, bringing flowers and a meal when a new baby arrived, or when one was lost.


This 'Scrappy Trip' quilt is for Mandie, a sweet, happy girl, who moved last year to start teaching. I used small scale, fresh, and sometime novelty prints, strawberries, bikes, horses and butterflies because they remind me of her innocent and adventurous spirit. Until now, the Scrappy Trip around the World quilts hadn't really drawn me in, but I settled on the pattern while looking for ways to make an Irish Chain quilt. I was fussy about colour placement, had lots of fun making the blocks, and like the way the diagonal repetition draws attention to the little characters in the squares, compared to a randomly placed 'postage stamp' quilt. It was one of those few quilting experiences where I made the quilt bigger than intended, rather than running out of puff early and settling on a baby quilt!

Phew! Another quilt cut, sewn and photographed! I can't wait to post it off to you Mandie! xx





19 comments:

  1. It sounds like a very special group of friends you have in your life. Feel free to come by TGIFF and share: http://quiltingmod.blogspot.com/2014/08/tgiff.html.

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  2. What a fantastic surprise! I'm so pleased for you. And it's a lovely quilt, made all the more lovely by the adorable Fin.

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  3. What a gorgeous quilt, how lucky you are too, to have such a wonder group of friends.

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  4. Lovely group and lovely idea! I was struck by the resemblance to an Irish Chain quit when the picture splashed across the screen. If you have a moment, how Did you fussy the placement of those rows? I m on my first scrappy trip, which is decidedly scrappy, and almost totally comprised of swapped blocks. I'd love to make a more intentional version, so I'm collecting tips and ideas....I adore the summery and crisp shades of this one!

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    1. Actually, on looking at your photos, I can see how you have placed the brights and lights and cools and warms. Thanks for sharing such a fabulous quilt!

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  5. Beautiful colour combinations in your quilt Jodi, I trust Mandie will love it.

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  6. Gorgeous post! I have to say yours is the nicest Scrappy trip I've seen. You have inspired me to want to make one too. One day. Love your photos :-)

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  7. This is fabulous! One of my favourite scrappy trips yet. I love that intense colour and then the low volume backgrounds. Brilliant. So what is your faith?

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  8. What a delightful post! I am sitting here with my cup of cooling coffee reading through my bloglovin feed, and your post out a smile into my morning :) I hope you have a lovely day today!

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  9. What a gorgeous quilt!!! Love how you used color placement to put your own spin on it!

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  10. What a very happy story! And happy belated birthday =) I love how your scrappy trip has the red/pink borders. Makes such pretty frames!

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  11. You know I love this quilt Jodi! I love the photos and the story of how they came about too!

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  12. How wonderful to have such great friends! And what a gorgeous quilt! I love that you concentrated on colour placement.

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  13. Lovely friends and a lovely quilt. The nicest "trip" I've seen.

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  14. Yay for beautiful friends :-) And a belated Happy Birthday xx

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  15. I adore the quilt, the fabrics look great and I'm sure it will be well loved by the recipient. Your yellow roses are so pretty too! Happy belated Birthday and I am pleased you didn't have to spend the whole day without grown up conversation!

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  16. What a joyous post! So happy that you're surrounded by a loving community like that, Jodi. I love all the color in these pictures. And that little girl is getting so big!!

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  17. I love the colours you have chosen - beautiful!!!

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I so love your comments! I read all of them and reply when I can. If you don't hear back, I'm lost under a mound of scraps or outside jumping on the trampoline with the kids. Jodi. xx