About six or seven years ago I made some quilts for care-leavers. I had another one half done when they changed the size of quilt they would accept. The maximum width is 48″, they want them long and thin with the idea that they can be wrapped round like a hug. Whilst I appreciate the concept, I think making them a bit wider makes them more useful as they would fit a single bed but still be big enough to snuggle into. Anyway, my quilt was 50″ by 60″.
I had the top made, sandwiched and half-quilted…and there it sat in a bottom drawer…until January when I was doing my sewing room declutter! I pulled it out, together with another UFO and sat them on my work table so I would hopefully get them finished.
This week I set too, all it took me was one afternoon to finish the quilting and another to do the binding! It had been sat there for over six years!! It was quite gratifying though to see that my free motion quilting had improved in the intervening years!
Having finished the quilt, I then had to find a home for it. It isn’t really my colours and I’m not exactly short of quilts at home! I decided to contact Project Linus, they give quilts and blankets to children in hospital or in some kind of crisis. I sent an e-mail and got a quick response, Yes! They would be happy to receive it, there’s a craft shop in Saltaire where I can hand it over.
Saltaire is pretty close but not easy to get to by public transport from Otley. I’ve fancied a look round this shop for a while as I’ve heard good reports, so I asked a friend if she fancied a trip to Saltaire, we can have lunch and a mooch round the village, maybe visit the David Hockney art gallery. Saltaire is an interesting place anyway, it was the model village built by Sir Titus Salt in the 1800’s for his mill workers, to get them out of the unhealthy city slums. It was very forward thinking, providing libraries, public baths, washing facilities,a hospital, but he was very strict on what they could and couldn’t do. It’s an interesting place to have a tour round if ever you’re nearby.
