baby quilt
I haven't posted many quilts lately. They are made. I give them away. Sometimes I remember to photograph them. Sometimes I do not.... My quilt making is so often a response. A baby is expected. A couple is marrying. A friend, or acquaintance, is hurting. Someone needs recognition, appreciation. Unlike my garment making, which is primarily selfish, my quilt making is for others. They are made, and then then they go to a new home. The giving of them is almost as satisfying as the making of them. If I had the time management skills to actually execute all the quilts that I would like to give to people, I would be a very prolific quilter. But I am human, so many of those quilts never leave the confines of my mind (heart). Perhaps someday....?
This quilt was made for the child of my Osteopath, who has so many times over the past year been an oasis, and a savior, for my battered psyche, and body. I would not have it any other way, but owning your own business is a stressful venture. Especially a creative business that relies on people's discretionary time and income. So this quilt was made with much gratitude, and love, for the soon-to-arrive offspring of one of my lifelines. A perfect example of when and why I make quilts. How do your sincerely say thank you for kindness shown? For a Mitzvah? A card? Flowers? Dinner? For me, it is a quilt....
The form this quilt took was partially born out of a need for a traveling project on my Caribbean trip last January. My hands needed a rest after this year's Holiday knitting so I looked for a hand stitching outlet that could travel with me. Being a HUGE fan of Carolyn Friedlander and her needle-turn applique, I turned to Savor Each Stitch and was drawn (again) to the Arc quilt blocks. Having once played with this shape for a small mini-quilt, that was never finished, I was eager to revisit this shape. And this time I wanted to play with the layout. I had a charm pack of Heather Ross' fabric, Tiger Lily, that I was given at her Schoolhouse at Quilt Market last Spring. These two elements came together effortlessly in my mind. I was looking to stretch beyond my usual pretty bold color palette, and embrace the softness. I dug out some low contrast greys from my stash for backgrounds and cut the whole thing out in a couple of hours. The small pieces fit perfectly in my carry on. My tool kit was packed, thread choices were simple, I was off to the races....
The finished blocks sat for a spell while I traipsed out to Pasadena for QuiltCon, but when I returned I had a fever to assemble this quilt. Perhaps it was the visual over stimulation of beautiful work out West, but I struggled, mightily, with this part of the process... Perusing Instagram, as I do (although their threat of Algorithms has been enough to make me set up an Ello account- same handle over there, let me know if you would like an invite?) I happened upon an image of blocks on point that got the wheels turning in a different direction. Just to reinforce my belief that the algorithm model is NOT the way to go, I saw this image on the feed of someone who does not post often, and who I only recently follow. Someone whose posts a mathematical equation would most certainly not show me....! But I digress.
I searched out a tutorial for putting blocks on point, tried one, and liked it. Very much. I made me some ugly getting there, but then it slid into place like a key in a lock. The top assembly went fast, and then it sat again while I pondered the quilting. I am not a great free-motion quilter, but that is mostly because I don't practice. So I took this moment to do some practicing, and found for the first time that, if I keep practicing, I might actually like this part of quilting!
Each quilt is a journey. I know, it's such a hackneyed cliche. But it is a cliche for a good reason. Working through the life cycle of a quilt is a creative, soul-nourishing, brain-teasing, exploration. And I love it. Don't talk about them as much as the garments, but they hold a sweet place in my heart. On to the next one.....
~Quick note on the photography in this post, it was all done on my iPhone 6S Plus. As a lover of film and cameras and the analog element therein, I am more than a little impressed with what my phone can do.....