It's done! My wintry quilt, begun with some gifted dyed tea towels, mixed together with a whole lot of white fabric, a lightweight batting, and quilted with sashiko stitches. I love, love, love the finished result - it feels, as some of you mentioned when I first shared it, like the winter snow and sky.
The sashiko stitching was incredibly fun and meditative. Until, that is, I misplaced both the sashiko needle and leather thimble. After scouring the floors on my hands and knees and enlisting everyone else to help too, I even went so far as to dissect the vacuum cleaner bag in hopes of finding them (now that's a fun task). No luck. And there was nothing meditative about it after that. Lesson learned - the right tools for the job really matter! I eventually did find that needle (guess where I put it? In the pin cushion! Oh golly....), and made myself a make-do thimble out of a scrap of leather and some elastic. I got back in the groove of stitching, and finished her up late last night. I haven't washed it yet, and I'm a little worried about doing so. All that white fabric, and dyed towels and blue cotton thread. Maybe some dye fixative would be a good idea? Hmn.
Until I sort that out, this wintry quilt is now in the mix of throw blankets all over the house - dragged from room to room and lap to lap for some extra cozy where ever it's needed. And each time I see it, I'm reminded of the sweet gift that started it all, the meditation of those stitches, and the beautiful stark, fresh white winter landscape outside our door.
