Note: I am putting four posts up on my blog today. I wrote them all awhile ago, but was frustrated by the quality of the pictures. I’m still not sure how they will turn out, but I would rather post them than not. I’m hoping the order comes out okay (I published them in reverse hoping #1 would appear at the top, followed by #2 and so on. If not, you’ll have to figure it out on your own.)

Last fall I made a Bruce tartan quilt for Anne and James. I was so pleased to get it done and to find someone to machine quilt it in time to take it to New Zealand when I visited in October. I used it for warmth on the trip and finished hand sewing the binding in-flight. I hid it from sight when we arrived, and a few days later boxed and wrapped it, along with all their Christmas and birthday presents.

 

Then I had to go home and wait for Christmas on the other side of the world–six weeks ’til they would open up their packages and thousands of miles in between. When there was a lull in my holiday schedule, I decided to make a smaller Bruce tartan with the leftover fabric. It was fun to simply follow a previously designed pattern–fun and efficient. I am planning to make at least one more.

I’ve wanted to make a Bruce tartan quilt for awhile. A few years ago I made two baby quilts in a Bruce Tartan pattern. They were cute, but didn’t really resemble the tartan much at all. I was challenged to create a quilt that looked more like “Ben’s kilt.” I’d asked James’ mother for pictures of the kilt and had been gathering fabrics for awhile. I also documented the process from beginning to end, first steps in working on the book.

To be continued…