Quilt for Japan

After about a month I have finally gotten round to quilting the Whirligig top I made with all the lovely fabrics from Elizabeth Scott.
And also managed to find some late afternoon sunshine to photograph it in.

It is the biggest quilt I have FMQ'd so far, and though my machine really struggles with tension issues, I do feel I am getting better at it all the time. I think a new machine would probably be the best solution!

I have really grown to love the crinkly texture you get after you have washed and dried it. And though more stressful it is nice to be able to finish a quilt SO quickly!

I used these 2 pieces of Moda Fresh Flowers that I got from the cheaper of my local fabric shops for the back. They were £7.50 a metre, which I thought was pretty good. I bought some in the white and red colourways too, so expect to see more of this design in the future!

The intention has always been to send this quilt to Japan to help a person or family who lost everything in the recent earthquake and tsunami. It's amazing how Japan seems to have dropped off the news agenda at the moment (at least it has here in the UK) and yet I doubt everything is back to normal in that country yet.
I have got an address of a Japanese quilting magazine from Quiltsalott's blog. They have a 'Quilt for Japan' appeal going on. But I am also wondering if anybody knows of any UK groups or bloggers who are sending quilts to Japan. I guess I am a little worried about sending it off and feel there might be safety in numbers if it could tag along with some other quilts! Please let me know if you have heard of anything.

Meanwhile I still have to make a label. I have bought the freezer paper and fully intend to try to send it through my printer attached to some fabric. I just need to pluck up the courage to give it a go!