Disappearing Nine Patch Quilt

My last post was all about the quilt raffle I am holding to support my daughter's fundraising for Tearfund -  see
http://jinny-gallimaufry.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/quilt-raffle.html
for details of how to enter - and as promised, here's a peek behind the scenes.

I decided to use fabrics from my stash so I pulled out lots of bits and pieces in soft vintage-ish colours, mainly shades of cream and pinky-brown, with a few bits of blue thrown in. Some of the fabrics have strawberries and patchwork imagery, making me think of afternoon tea on the lawn.

Step one - sorting the fabrics into colour value order.

Then trying out arrangements for the nine patch blocks.

 The quilt uses the disappearing nine patch technique, which is new to me.  I have collected lots of images and tutorials on my patchwork and quilting board on Pinterest so do go and have a look.  the general idea is to make a nine patch block, cut it into quarters, rearrange and reassemble.  So you end up with blocks containing large squares, small squares and rectangles which create complex patterns when you join them.

 Laying out blocks.

I machine quilted using lots of separate motifs - they show up more on the back - and brought the blue to the front with a self binding.

 The finshed quilt front

 and back.

Quilt Raffle

So here it is, your chance to win this lovely lap quilt I have made!  The raffle will be drawn on 8th October 2016.  Here's the front...

and on the back you can see all the quilting.  This is my favourite size for a quilt, just right for a summer picnic and we keep one on the back of the sofa for snuggling up when it gets chilly.  

If you want it to last as an heirloom, you can carefully store out of sunlight, and lovingly handwash it.  Or if, like me, you believe things are made to be used, you can just sling it in the washing machine occasionally and enjoy using it until it wears out, full of memories.

 Want to know more about the making of the quilt? Have a look at this blog post
  http://jinny-gallimaufry.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/disappearing-nine-patch-quilt.html
but don't forget to come back to buy some tickets!

And that's not all, the second prize is a Craft Cotton Co. Quilt Collection kit to make your own small quilt,  kindly donated by Hobbycraft, Bristol.

I'm holding the raffle to support my daughter's fundraising - she is volunteering in South Africa at the moment with Tearfund as part of the government backed ICS scheme.  I have put a pledge on her JustGiving page to raise £600 and so far we have around £400, which is brilliant but we want to do more.

So, here's how to get your tickets, which are just £1 each and come in books of 5.

1)  In real life - stop me and buy one, I always have a few with me.

2)  Online - send your donation directly to Katy O'Leary's JustGiving Page.  IMPORTANT - as you are buying raffle tickets you cannot add Gift Aid.  Send me an email at janeolearyart@gmail.com telling me how many tickets you would like and confirming you have donated, and I will email back a photo showing the tickets filled in for you. 

3) By post - send a cheque made out to Jane O'Leary to Quilt Raffle, 13 Cross Hands Road, Pilning, Bristol, BS35 4JB.  If you would like me to send the tickets to you, please also enclose a stamped addressed envelope, otherwise I can email a photo.

Don't miss out! The draw takes place on October 8th 2016.  Let's see how much we can raise to support this great cause.