At least 5 years ago (and probably more!) whilst on holiday in Cornwall, my husband and I visited Cowslip Workshops to browse their fantastic selection of all things patchwork and quilting.

Amongst other items, I purchased a selection of Fat Quarters featuring some charming 40’s and 50’s style nursery prints. Then, about 2 years ago I spent some time at our Friday morning House Group, hand stitching all the blocks together according to a Sudoku game plan. By using a Sudoku plan I was able to ensure that only on a couple of occasions was a print adjacent to another block of the same design.

Forward to this year, I was asked to make a quilt for a friend’s new grandson and I thought that the Applecore quilt may be appropriate. Here was the incentive to get the quilt finished.

A search through my stash of fabrics revealed a large piece of Blue/Mauve cotton that would be good for the reverse.

Reverse of the Quilt showing quilting lines

I also found a Fat Quarter of a pretty Duck Egg Blue background cotton featuring a print of school buses and animals waiting in line to ascend the bus to use as the binding.

Alas, on checking my stash I could not find a large enough piece of wadding. Infact I could not find much wadding at all! Off to New Threads Quilt Shop at Weyhill Fair on the trail of some polyester wadding. Unfortunately they had no stock of polyester wadding and instead recommended the Soft & Elegant “The Comfort Blend” of 80/20% cotton/polyester batting. This is the first time that I have used this particular blend and wow, it is great! I shall certainly use it again. Having bought 1 metre of the 90 inch wide there is sufficient remaining to make another lap quilt and I already have a plan for a Japanese Folded Patchwork ‘Quilt as you Go’ project.

The quilt was duly assembled and using my walking foot with  80 quilting needle in the machine was quilted ‘in the ditch’. I was at first undecided as to how to finish the binding but eventually decided to apply in a straight line and would forfeit a part of each of the applecores around the outside edge of the quilt. The double fold binding was cut 2½ inches wide and machined with a ¼ inch seam allowance. The binding was then turned to the reverse of the quilt and hand slip stitched in place.

Close ups of the various block prints

Sometime next week I will show the quilt and if acceptable will arrange an embroidered label for the reverse. So after a mere 5 plus years the quilt will be finished.

P.S. My projects don’t usually take this long!