2020 Wk 13 - a finished quilt for an anniversary

The BFL (my father’s initials) quilt was finished earlier this year and has been on my on my bed ever since.   I used some blocks embroidered with free motion quilting, some blocks machine embroidered with designs I created, and mostly some perfect fabrics from various collections designed by Janet Clare.

I am totally in love with this

More details about my quilt are here

As well as having added embroideries that were important to me, the fabrics really spoke to me too

They are all Janet Clare fabrics: sailing ships - my father loved them (my stepmom had to clear 31 boxes of books about, and paintings of sailing ships!), there is wind, rain and seaweed (all featured on holidays to Bergen and to Halsnøy )!  The red cottages are perfect to depict the cottage we visited every holiday, and the blue whales ... our Norwegian family is spread all over the world: USA, Kenya, now Portugal, England and of course Norway, but like blue whales we call to each other across the oceans and support each other.

When I had finished “my” quilt there was enough fabric left for a end-of-the-bed quilt, or a wrap-round-the-shoulders-if-you-are-cold-or-need-a-hug quilt, so I made one for his best friend, my stepmom, too.  It’s been posted to her and I’m hoping it will arrive in time to commemorate the anniversary - I can’t believe he’s been gone two years! 

Thank you to Janet and Tony Clare for the course and the fabrics, thank you to my aunts, cousins and the family for the happy memories, thank you to Susan for being his much loved best friend and for everything you did for him, thank you to the blue whales for the love, thank you to my “Farmor” (grandmother) for recognising the cottage and the island as a treasure for so many future generations, and thank you to my father, BFL, for having been you: love you and miss you