Quilt and Cushion

It's only recently that I started to combine a quilt with a matching cushion ... and yes, I do like that! :-)

Happy Easter!

Fence

I have started out on a new quilt: up to this point it has a Rail Fence pattern. I like this pattern, it is easy to work on, looks good, I have nice fabrics with these sunny colors in my collection ... so I am glad with it. What I am thinking about: why does this pattern come to my mind right now? 

Well, maybe it is good to build up a fence now and then, for protection or to draw the line... I love bridges more than fences, but there are fences which are just important, so that I can say, that's me here, and for that area here I am responsible. Also: my fence will look nice and it will have a lovely door that says "welcome, come in, I'm happy you could make it."

So far. Maybe I will combine my Rail Fence pattern here with something else.... a different pattern, or a little green ...I'll see! :-)

Miss Rumphius

"...Alice would say, 'When I grow up, I too will go to faraway places, and when I grow old, I too will live beside the sea.'

'That is all very well, little Alice,' said her grandfather, 'but there is a third thing you must do.'

'What is that?' asked Alice.

'You must do something to make the world more beautiful,' said her grandfather."

(from: "Miss Rumphius", by Barbara Cooney)

To do something to make the world more beautiful... isn't that a great motto? Which is why Alice, later Miss Rumphius (she needed some time to find out what it is she can make the world more beautiful with), sets out on planting Lupines everywhere....

Well, these are not Lupines, but beautiful flowers I received as a gift. Happy Spring everyone! :-)

Male Quilters

"He quilted in the evening in front of the television, as Elaine used to do. Something about the repetitive motion of quilting allowed his mind to disconnect from himself, to float on a stratum out of reach of his anger and the slow, steady ache of loneliness. In those moments he could remember Elaine without pain.

Working on the cancer quilt became a way to fill the empty hours between work and sleep. The quilt became a tribute to her, a link to her. Sometimes he felt as if she were watching over his shoulder, encouraging him to persevere, shrugging off his mistakes. At first his stitches were huge, crooked, and scattered, as if someone had spilled a bag of long grain rice on the quilt. As the weeks passed, they became smaller and more precise, falling into a distinguishable pattern of loops and scrolls.

He finished the quilt a few weeks shy of the first anniversary of Elaine's death. Following the instructions in her books, he attached a hanging sleeve to the back of the quilt and hung it in the living room. It clashed with the rest of the furnishings, but he didn't care. In fact, he respected the disruption. He figured that was part of the message of the quilt.

On the night that marked one full year without Elaine, Christine and Charlie came into the city to distract him with dinner at his favourite restaurant. They didn't tell him that was the reason, of course, but he knew. When they came over to pick him up, they stopped short at the sight of the cancer quilt. Christine sucked in a breath; Charlie let out a low whistle.

"Interesting choice in ... art, buddy," said Charlie dubiously.

"Elaine designed it," Christine warned in an undertone.

"I mean, it's great," said Charlie quickly. "It's ... Wow. Elaine did good work."

"Elaine started it. I finished it."

Two pairs of eyes fixed on him. Then Charlie laughed. "You finished it?"

"That's right." Russ studied the quilt for a moment. "And I'm thinking about starting another."

And he did! This is from the wonderful book "Circle of Quilters" by Jennifer Chiaverini.

There are lots of male quilters around. Here are two great sites about them (there are many more!):

http://nachograndmasquilts.blogspot.com/2009/05/male-quilters-blogs-and-websites.html

http://manquilters.ning.com

This is my portrait of "A Man" (with a piece of glass attached in the middle):

Unexpected

Charm is a product of the unexpected. 
(José Marti)
(http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/unexpected.html)

"Winding Ways" Pattern

"She had learned to be content with a more winding way, one that curved in unforeseen directions, skirted unexpected obstacles, and often forced her to backtrack at dead ends. She had learned to persevere despite the uncertain destination, despite her own doubts, despite her critic's gloomy predictions that none of the answers she pursued ultimately mattered."

("The Winding Ways Quilt", by Jennifer Chiaverini)

I do love that pattern (and what it means) very much. I think of that everytime I look at my "Winding Ways" quilt. 

here I pieced it:   

it's pieced but not quilted yet:

finished:

Handquilted

I love the look of a handquilted object.  It somehow never looks perfect, but it looks so RIGHT !

Quilting adds dimension

"The quilt became alive beneath their needles as the quilting stitches added dimension to the pieced pattern."

("The Quilter's Apprentice", by Jennifer Chiaverini)

That's exactly what quilting does! 

It's not only about just fixing the three layers of a quilt, in order to prevent them from shifting. It's about giving some depth, character and a "face" to a quilt.   

It's no biggie, just some little stitches can do this. That's the beauty of it.

before: 

after:

the reverse side:

Binding

This is how I made the binding for my latest quilt: 

choosing the fabric, measuring and cutting the strips:

sewing the strips together:

pressing the strips:

cutting the edges of the quilt:

attaching the strip to the front side:

the corner:

attaching the strip to the reverse side:

...and a label, too! FINISHED!! :-)

My Latest Quilt

"Tangled, anxious thoughts relaxed when she felt the fabric beneath her fingers and remembered that she was creating something beautiful enough to delight the eyes as well as the heart, something strong enough to defeat the cold of a Pennsylvania winter night. She could do these things. She, Sarah, had the power to do these things."

(from "The Quilter's Apprentice", by Jennifer Chiaverini)

I love the books by Jennifer Chiaverini! And I love my quilt I completed yesterday.

Reverse Side

the reverse side also has a reverse side

- Japanese proverb

(http://quotes.prolix.nu/Proverbs/)

Label

" ... several years after the war ended, he sent the quilt back to Dorothea with a letter. He wrote that his wife was a quilter, and knowing how much love she put into every stitch of her creations, he couldn't rest until this quilt was returned to its proper owners."

"I think his wife must have him write that," said Kathleen.

Rosemary smiled. "Be that as it may, Dorothea had her husband's quilt restored to her, and it remained in our family ever since."

Summer looked intrigued. "How in the world did he know where to send it?"

"Well, I'll show you." Carefully Rosemary turned the quilt over to reveal a small section of embroidery. "Dorothea put her name right here."

"'Made by Dorothea Granger Nelson for her beloved husband, Thomas Nelson, in our sixth year of marriage, 1858. Two Bears Farm, Creek's Crossing, Pennsylvania.' " Sylvia sat back in her chair, pleased. "At last, someone who knew how to properly label her quilts."

(from: The Runaway Quilt, by Jennifer Chiaverini)

Labeling a quilt is something I really had to get used to. Years ago, when I nearly had finished a piece I so much wished to have it completed quickly now, I didn't like the idea to take more time to think about a label and to actually make a nice one to fix onto the back.

But over the years I more and more loved the idea to label my quilts. These labels do not only serve as a useful source of information in case a quilt gets lost. I found out that such labels are a beautiful signature and make the quilt even more personal and special. These labels add a heart to the "story" a quilt can tell ( I don't know how to say that better.)

In the beginning of somehow labeling my quilts I only stitched my "M" for Maria and the year in which my quilt was finished. 

By now I find it very nice to take the time to tell more : my full name, the location(s) in which my quilt was made, maybe the name of the person the quilt was being made for, maybe any other special circumstances.

Some quilters write down their full address, some add good wishes or a saying, some mention the name of the pattern(s) or where the fabrics came from.

There are different ways to create a label. I love to take a piece of white muslin and write on it with a permanent fabric marker, sometimes  - when I'm not too impatient - I stitch my words. It's also a nice idea to sew a special block for the back and to use that for a label. Some say you can buy labels or download and print them, I didn't try that out, it doesn't sound very "personal" to me, but maybe it looks very good.

My Needle

"When life goes to pieces some of us sew it back together into patchwork."

(from my favourite quilting website: http://www.quiltology.com/good-reads)

Here is the needle I sew with: