In 2003 we visited Canada and spent the day on Vancouver Island with some lovely people - Cathy and her husband John. We'd never met them - I had seen Cathy perform at Canberra Quilters, and we knew each other online through Southern Cross Quilters - but they welcomed us onto the island, and into their home and took us to lunch as if we were the closest of close friends. We have never forgotten how they looked after us that day, and after that trip, Cathy and John came to Australia and stayed with us in Canberra (several times over the years). That first trip to Canberra to stay with us, I decided to make her a little quilt as a memento of her Australian tour. I never did finish it before she visited ... Or the other 3 or 4 times she visited ...
Hopeless!
I found the finished stitchery while I was unpacking boxes after our renovations. In January John and Cathy were coming back through town, and I thought now was the opportunity. An hour of trimming, basting and quilting, and another hour for binding and it was done.
Don't know what took me so long, actually.
The pattern is by Wendy Briggs, a Canberra stitchery designer.
We Canberra Southern Cross Quilters had lunch with Cathy and John, and during the traditional show and tell I told the story of the quilt, and then gave it to Cathy. She was so surprised!
So that's the story of my first finished quilt for #finishit2014. I have many more quilts to finish!
