Inspiration comes from many places ~

 I went on a little trip in March to the Isle of Man. It was the best time for many reasons. Mostly because I traveled alone and that in and of itself was eye opening. I met many people, saw beautiful things and learned so much about the island and myself. After I returned I did some research about Isle of Man quilting. Found little things here and there. Then I did a search for Manx quilting and I found that the log cabin which has been around since the Civil War was probably inspired by the Manx folded log cabin or Roof pattern. Ladies, in the dim evening light, folded pieces of fabric and hand stitched them around a center square. Because they used their fingers, thumb and hands as measuring tools, each square would be different in size depending on the quilter. No quilting bees at that time, I presume.

My trip was wonderful because of a new found cousin in Australia. I was doing genealogy for my husband side and found that his family originated on the Isle of Man and the family migrate to England, Australia and the US.This new found cousin got me in contact with the most amazing hosts on the island. So to thank her, I have made a little wall hanging.

Folded log cabin

We have skyped since my return and she teases me about the large amount of fabric I have in my room. Now I have a little less, haha!

The color choice is from the Manx National registered tartan dated 1946 by Miss Patricia McQuaid. It is a seven color tartan and the description reads:

The light blue of the sky, The dark blue of the sea, The green of the hills & valleys, the white of the cottages, the purple of the heather, the yellow of the gorse in bloom, the red of the flowers of the fuchsia

I chose to have the whites in the center because of how the blocks are stitched together and finished. But it looks beautiful no matter the arrangement.

back with sleeve to hang

She is not a quilter, so I hope she likes it. Just a little reminder of the place she love so much.

Now to make a label for the back, then figure out how to package and mail it to Australia.

A happy little project finished. Now for the bigger ones.

Have a great weekend