On the balcony

It just occured to me that I have forgotten to show pictures of this quilt which I finished just over a week ago. It started out as a summer project and was originaly meant to be a table cloth. However, I soon decided that it was a bit too busy and bright for my table, so I decided to back it with polar fleece and use it as a throw instead. And here it is, ready for an evening on the balcony watching the sun go down.

The pattern is inspired by Kaffe Fasset's Pennants-quilt from his first patchwork book, and is made using one of the Tri-rec rulers. I had never tried those before, but I was impressed with the speed and ease with which the whole thing went together without using templates. I used a store-bought fleece blanket with rounded corners, hence the rounded edges on the quilt. I was quite impressed with the way I managed to keep track of all the blocks and which way they were to go, what with having to transport the pieces back and forth between home and quilt shop, but after quilting I realized that I had got one of the blocks in the wrong way after all. Never mind, it's there to stay now and I suppose most people won't notice it! And I have stopped being coy about the things I make - "no, this is nothing, and look at the mistakes I've made..." was what I used to respond with if people complemented my work. Now I prefer to smile and thank them for noticing, and try not to blush for being so self-congratulatory. As adults we tend to put ourselves down a bit. I think I have something to learn from my youngest nephew: when someone tells him that he is clever he simply says "yes I know"! A bit too much coming from a forty-something, I suppose, but a slightly modified version accompanied by lowered lashes and a bashful smile might be all right...
Talking of my youngest nephew: here is a glimpse of my WIP, the kite quilt that he will get for his birthday. I have joined the kites and background pieces in strips now and here they all are ready to be joined together. The picture shows an example of my summer laziness, I have taken to using my embroidery frame (hiding an unfinished tapestry) to hang the strips from so I just have to swivel around on my chair by the sewing machine to grab the next trip when stitching them together.
And now, back to the balcony...