Saturday 26 April 2014

Bunny Bib #2, Girl 11 Update

Hi everyone,

I've finished the second baby bunny bib.  I did the binding differently and changed the bunny tails around, but the rest is the same as the first one.



I made the binding narrower and applied it in one go, instead of sewing it on and then sewing the back down by hand, like a quilt binding, which is how the bib pattern says to do it.   I found it easier to manage (and faster) to do it in one go on the machine.



This binding method gave a smoother finish. The blue bunny has a tiny bow for a tail, but this time the pink bunny has a ribbon rosebud tail instead of a bow.


The fabric on the back is the same as bib #1.  I will do the binding this way from now on.


I finished the quilting on this one.  I would normally finish one this size in one day, but I worked on this one off and on over 4 days. Because I had to pivot every 3 inches, I had to adjust the quilt too.  It was very tiring so I had to rest in between, but I am happy with the final result.


Now there are two quilts ready for binding.  I think two at once is a first for me.


Here are their bindings:  the pink goes with the scrap quilt and is all ready, the blue is still in progress.  I love EVERY single stage of quilting with the exception of one tiny detail...I despise joining the binding ends together when I get the binding sewn on the quilt.  Because I make my binding joined on an angle, I want that same angle with the final join.  For years, I have been using the directions from a quilt book I have called "Happy Endings", and it's always a challenge.  So, a quick search took me here.   I will be trying this method with whichever of the two quilts gets the binding on first.  




Do you remember my beautiful Girl 11?  She came to me on a plane from a faraway place in QLD.  She is a working girl and she needed rest for medical reasons. 


She stayed with me for just over a month over December and January.  Here she is on Christmas Day.
You might remember that her blind guy had to fly back home and he was VERY sad to be away from her for so long.  He depends on her heavily to guide him, and while she was with me, he had to use his white cane and friends to help him get around.  Over the course of that month, I helped her write emails to him and he wrote back to her. 


Did I mention she is still my very favourite one?!!!  This girl is very special.  Her blind guy sent an email to the special dog place to let them know that Girl 11 recently made the front page of her hometown newspaper!! I will show you part of the email because he still remembers me.

"(girl 11)  is the star on front page of  (local newspaper) today.  Please pass on my gratitude to (**** )   and Deb (carer).  Let them know  (girl 11)  is back to full work and doing well. We have our annual fundraiser at  ******Bowls Club in May.   I feel very confident we will raise at least $2,500 this year. Preparations are going very well."   smiles, (his name, her name)
There was a link to the article which I would love to show you, but I can't, because he is in the picture too.  It is a fantastic picture of her and she looks well and it made me cry!  In the article, he tells of his vision (single digit now) and how much he trusts her and depends on her.  I am happy they are back together, but she really was the best one  and I do miss her.   xx debbie

5 comments:

  1. Very neat finish on your bibs!
    Interesting method for binding too - I have a favourite but its worth trying other ways too.Z
    It must be good hear from your "exs" like that!

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  2. Great to hear how girl 11 is getting on. Your bibs are just beautiful. The quilting looks great on the chevrons; can't wait to see it with the binding xx

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  3. Hello Debbie,

    Oh the bibs are so lovely and attractive. Great news re the dogs.
    Have fun finishing the quilts.

    Happy days.
    Bev.

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  4. I love the bibs! Dog 11 is just adorable, I can see why you fell in love with her. I just sent you an email with a link to a YouTube video of quilt binding joining. It's the method I use and it always gives me a perfect join.

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  5. It must have been lovely to hear from your Girl 11 and friend especially as she holds that "favourite" place in your heart. Your quilts are going great. I must have a look at which method the utube has for joining the ends. I used to find them a bit difficult but seem to have worked it out well enough now.

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