With only one day left to enter, I decided I better hurry up and join the cool kids over at Amy’s Blogger’s Quilt Festival.

The quilt I want to share with you is one you’ve seen before, as I sell the pattern for it. But that’s not what’s important about it.

It’s a gift. For Mother Outlaw. Ok, I call them my ‘Outlaws’ because it’s the complete polar opposite of what they’re actually like. When I first met them I thought they acted like the Queen and Prince Philip. In fact, at that time, Margaret even had her hair done just like the Queen!

They are the nicest people in the whole world. They give us generous gifts, like paying for our conservatory blinds. They weren’t pissed when Buzz and I got married in America. And when my sister Serena came over at Xmas when she was 15, they didn’t even know her yet there were plenty of gifts for her under the Xmas tree. She’s never forgotten how welcome they made her feel, and neither have I. They’ve fed, housed and entertained my parents with obvious pleasure both times they’ve come over here, and they always keep up on what’s going on with my family.

As you guys know, I have a daughter, Savi. But Buzz is her step-dad, not her bio dad. Buzz and I haven’t managed to have a baby of our own, so Savi is the closest thing my Outlaws have to a grandchild. They have always treated her as their own, and proudly display pictures of her all over their home. I really regret not having a baby with Buzz all those years ago, and I really wish we were in a position to have one now – I’d love to give him and his parents a child and grandchild of their own. But they’ve never held it against me or Savi, and I’m so very grateful to them for that.

So I wanted to make them something useful, but beautiful and semi-permanent. They grew up during the war, so they are very practical people. When I saw Rose Parade by Moda, I decided to spend my birthday gift certificate on a layer cake of it. I wrote the pattern, and when it all came together, I was so proud of it! It’s even been hung in my LQS, Green Hill!

But this Xmas, it’ll go to its real home, my Outlaws’ house. I think they’ll like it, and I really hope they use it. I can’t ever really show them how grateful I am that they’ve always welcomed me and Savi, but I hope the hours and love I put into the quilt can give them an idea of how important they are to the 3 of us.

© J C Excell, 2011