Friendship Braid

I've made this quilt for an ex-colleague of mine. We worked together for about seventeen years and she was a huge support to me when I was Acting Head and at other difficult times. She's finally decided to take the plunge and retire.

I used a jelly roll which had been cut by De at Midsomer Quilting. She cuts a lot of their own jelly rolls, which is great because I hate sewing with the pinked edges on commercial rolls, I can never work out where the edge is supposed to be. Aren't the colours wonderful?

I'm pleased with the quilting on this one too. I stabilised it with invisible thread then used one of the decorative stitches to do a simple zig-zag following the pattern. In the borders I stitched a cable pattern. I couldn't work out how to turn the corners, so I've put a button there instead!

By the way, don't you love the pink and green chinese lanterns hanging outside the back door? Christopher found them at a local garden centre; they're made from a nylon type of material so can be left  outside during the summer, and they're solar powered. They look really pretty once it gets dark.