Heiress to a shipping fortune

One winter’s night when we were living in Bundanoon, I was lacking inspiration for a caption for my photo of a new quilt I had started. I handed my phone to my software engineer husband, Tim, and asked him to write a caption.

Tim: “what should I write about?”

Me: “whatever you like - maybe how you came up with the name of the bundle that I am using in this quilt?” (For those who missed it, it’s called Heiress to a shipping fortune)

Tim: “ok”, and starts typing

Five minutes later, he handed my phone back with this caption:

“The steps down to the galley from the first class deck creaked as she briskly but carefully made her way down to dinner. She was meeting the captain for the evening meal - a gruff but elegant man who had eyes that had seen every ocean on earth from over a teak bow. There was much to discuss as she takes over her fathers business: heiress to a shipping fortune”

I was hooked! So the next time I posted quilt progress, I asked him to add to the story- which he did. And gradually over a 5 parts, starting in July and ending (once i'd finished hand quilting this mammoth quilt) in November, a story unfolded.

But it wasn't until a few days ago when I was laughing about that story that Tim told me the colours of the bundle actually also inspired the story- the navy blues represent the captains uniform, and the blue ocean, the feminine pinks for the heroine, the browns for the bow of the ship and the sailor's bronzed arms. Once I found that out, I knew I had to write a blog post with all five parts of the story (along with some shots of the quilt)- so without further ado- the rest of the story :-)

The mainsail clapped loudly above her as she stepped out of steerage onto the main deck to inspect the damage. Her hands were still trembling with fear from the violent pirate raid the previous night. As she scanned the bloody carnage, her eyes locked onto a familiar face - the young handsome sailor who had shielded her from the murderous pirate that had attacked her cabin and fought him back above deck. What was this strange feeling suddenly engulfing her refusing to release her gaze from his? Edward was awaiting her return in Cornwall and she knew she shouldn’t be feeling this way.”

“The palm trees on the island swayed in the warm tropical breeze. The sailor’s large, tanned forearms strained as he rowed the small boat into a grotto out of the sun and out of sight of the prying eyes back on the ship. She had told the crew she was coming ashore to negotiate supplies but the chance to be alone in the island with her love was all she had on her mind. They were on the other side of the world from Cornwall and all she could think about was starting a new life here away from the heavily starched high society back home. As they drifted into the cool azure water of the grotto, the sailor stopped rowing. The whole world faded into his pale green eyes and at this moment, she stopped being an heiress to a shipping fortune. How could she go possibly go back?”

‘This is how birds must feel at full speed with a fresh breeze on their backs’, she thought to herself. The sails of the ship blew full, hurtling her towards home. With a successful bounty of spices and silk, she would soon be starting a new life with a man she’d never met. Edward, as she has been told, sought to unify the greatest shipping empires in all of England by taking her hand in marriage. A new life in the lap of luxury awaited her if she wished. Her fathers reputation and business future rest with this decision, a devoted daughter would carry on her family’s honour. A knot in her throat formed. She knew the right decision was to choose Edward. But her heart lay with the humble sailor”

“Her father wore his finest navy dress colours, which he hadn't worn since he served in the war. It was obvious he had laboured to put a shine on all the medals as they glistened in the light beaming through the carriage windows. He had been at her side since sailing out to the edge of the port to meet her upon her ship's return. They were on their way to meet Edward, to whom she was promised and the one that would give her a life of grandeur as together they would run the greatest shipping empire in the entire world. But all she could think about was her beloved sailor. It had been a week since they arrived at home port in Cornwall and he had not escaped her mind in all during that time. She longed to be held by him one last time, but would have settled for just one last goodbye. Alas, there wasn't time on the last days of the voyage among the prying eyes of the crew. At the gates of Edward's elegant manor, she let out one last sigh and forwent all hope of seeing her sailor again. From this moment, as she met her future husband, she would be faithful to all the values held by her loving family and culminate her father's dreams. WIth a heavy heart and eyes fixed downwards, she slowly meandered down the magnificent hallway of the manor, resigned to this new life. Edward's mother, donned in the finest Albanian Silk gown, briskly strolled over to greet her. "It's so lovely to meet you my dear, my son rushed back from his own voyage just to meet you" as she presented the hand of a man to meet hers. This hand.... She knew this hand.... It had a comforting familiarity to it and she immediately shifted her gaze up. The man they called Edward was actually her sailor. He had presented a false name to travel aboard her vessel to ensure her safety. Her eyes closed and her face pressed into his warm shoulders - she was home”

I'm pretty impressed he managed to write such a good story using so few words! And now, onto the quilt itself!

I made the St Louis 16 patch quilt in super bed size (it's 80" x 96" and fits perfectly on our king bed. I’ve written a pattern if you want to make your own which you can purchase here :-) I used the Heiress to a Shipping Fortune bundle (30 fat quarters). Pattern Link

I hand quilted it and used a small bowl to trace the curves (and used a water erasable marker to mark these). Altogether, it took me about 3 months of on and off quilting to hand quilt but I did have some significant breaks during that time.

I hope you enjoyed the story and learning more about one of my most favourite quilts :-)