In Honour - The Beginning

Well February sucked big time and it has taken me a couple of weeks into March to regain some sense of normality with work returning to it's normal schedule...Yes Folks, I started writing this post over a month ago *sigh*  It seems fitting to finally hit publish today...

So, last month in February local quilt group began a new Challenge. There had been many a private discussion in the last few months of last year with the instigator of the Challenge (hereinafter called Challenge Master "CM") about the theme and purpose.  I was soooo excited...I had my colour inspiration sorted months ago...ideas buzzing...sourcing fabric on the annual sojourn to Summer School meant the project box was packed and ready to go for the group start at the first Gathering this year...you know all this preparation is just going to end in tears...

Members were given the run down on theme/purpose at last year's Christmas Gathering. I'm not known for going to night Gatherings (until work intervened again I went day group) but this Challenge was the incentive to go and get back into it.  The morning of the Christmas Gathering I found I had to go to a CFA training session instead.  Not to worry, I knew the nitty gritty and probably more than would be discussed at the Gathering anyway...fabric still not sourced, only theory at this point...all good...

I very much looked forward to the first Gathering of this year for the reveal of the first blocks...project box ready so I could get start right out of the blocks with everyone else.  I didn't get to go, I was at work 120 kms away. Universe I am was getting really jack of your perverted sense of humour.  Told you all that preparation was ending in tears :(

Nice CM left the block patterns in my mail box, yay I was set to go. The weekend before the second Gathering (yes 3 1/2 weeks later) I finally got to the starting line and made the first four blocks...

Can you see the theme? What? No? OK, so the theme is the 100th Anniversary of the Landing at Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915. The aim is to have all quilt tops (not necessarily quilted and bound quilts just the tops) finished for the Anniversary. CM has done soooo much research and consulted with the local RSL* branch to obtain their approval to her idea before going ahead (it's only manners after all). The concept is a sampler quilt of 48 blocks each honouring a soldier from the district. CM has researched each individual man and provided a brief synoposis of his life/service/death with the quilt block pattern.

My colour inspiration was found months ago, on the Department of Defence website - a photo, the silhouette of a soldier at dawn, which grabbed my attention and refused to let go. That was it, that was my colour scheme. I printed out the photo and pinned it to the design wall (AKA the pin board).

Each month we are to be given four blocks to be made for Show and Tell at the next Gathering.  I actually made it to the March Gathering and no two colour schemes were the same, it will be a great display when all the tops are finished - honouring those Diggers** who fell a Century ago, the original ANZACs***.

LEST WE FORGET.

Happy Stitching...

*RSL - Returned Soldiers League
**Diggers - Australian soldiers
***ANZAC - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps