A finish and a L O N G term WIP!

 I'm back working on my Dear Jane again!

I started it on 28th January 2003, just over 12 short (!) years ago. 

I've worked on it in fits and starts.  The last blocks I made were in August 2014, but I feel that the time has come to buck up my ideas and finish all the square blocks. I never intended to make the triangles, as I only have limited space for the quilt.

 It turns out that I stopped with only 10 blocks left to make!

These are the four that I've made this week, and I'm planning on making the final six next week.

I'm hoping to finish it completely before October.  Wish me luck!

This is my finish!  My 'Military Wives song' Round Robin quilt!

 

Difficult to photograph at 72" wide, but this was my best attempt.  The bulgy bit on the LHS is where it is hung over a wall light. 

 This is a clearer shot of the left half.
The top strip is the 'made up' one from bits and bobs and scraps by me to balance the top.
The second strip is by Nerida - the purple square represents a travelling soldier, always part of the family unit but not always in the same place.
The third strip was my 'starter strip'.
The fourth strip by Karen who knows one of the military wives choir members.  There is a Southern Belle block to represent her, chevrons to represent her recently promoted husband and the three purple accents representing their three children.

On the right hand side from the top down I have Jane's block which represents the blue airmail letters being a bridge of communication - squares for the letters, triangles for the questions and answers that they contain.
Then there is Benta's extra strip - some of the text of the song embroidered.
Third down I have Marjolyn's pieced strip, including a star of destiny, interlocked squares (representing families together) and delectable mountains for the ups and downs of life.
Finally I have some of Benta's hexie work - representing the heads of the choir from a high shot taken of them singing.

I'm so lucky to have such beautiful work from my quilting friends - it's been a pleasure to bring this quilt into a whole piece.

I should also remember to say 'thank you' to  Benta's friend 'Willit' for her inspired idea to add some orange flashes to the binding to help balance it.  They only just show up in the photos, but there are there and definitely add to the whole.  I let them fall at random around my binding (good for overcoming my control freak instincts!) and I'm pretty happy with how that worked out.

So, big thanks to Nerida, Karen, Jane, Marjolyn, Benta and Willit for their contributions to my completed quilt hanging.  I can't wait for the builders to complete their work (just three more weeks, I hope!) so that we can hang it in it's destination wall space!