Beach Finds - Holiday Memories Mini Quilt

You have a whole week left so it's not too late to enter the Holiday Memories Mini Quilt (or bag or cushion) competition hosted by Fiona at Celtic Stitches - such a great idea for a competition because there are so many ways different people can take inspiration and run with it which makes looking at entries such fun.  The quilts and cushions linked up already are fantastic.

  

The memory which inspired my entry was one of the best days of our summer holiday.  We spent a lovely day on the beach with three generations of family in Bute (posted here).

My nephew helped me pebble hunt.

I thought I'd make a mini quilt of our finds, using brown, grey and off-white Oakshott scraps left over from a current rather larger WIP  because, as you can see, I'm a bit obsessed with the loveliness of pebbles which always make their way home with us...

The grainy Oakshott is perfect for the texture of the pebbles which are all pieced, except the one with a circle on it which is reverse applique using the Bondaweb method I used for a cushion.  They are appliqued to the background (Klona white  - I tried different sandy coloured fabrics but the effect was a bit sludgy and I love the crispness of Klona).  It seemed right to pebble quilt round them - not very competently as it's the first time I've used a proper FM foot - including some wavy lines to represent the ripples you get from trickles through sand.

I sneaked in one tiny clamshell for the hell of it.

I bound it with scraps of the same fabric but left parts of the binding white to let the trickles flow across the quilt unimpeded.

Disasters (luckily minor) with this quilt were failing to remember that Warm and Natural batting has a good side (in the wrong light you can see the little cotton seeds or whatever they are, through the white) and stabbing myself really hard with the needle when putting on the binding  - luckily the bloodstains are on the back!

Stats:
Oakshott, from the Lipari and Minerals ranges, and Klona cotton
Warm and Natural batting
Scrappy binding
Gutermann threads
Pebble and wavy line quilting
23 x 23 inches

Please visit and even enter the competition at Celtic Thistle Stitches!