Compromise

Imagine my horror the day I found a huge pile of rotting t-shirts in the back of Brent's closet. Not hip, vintage, concert-type t-shirts, but discolored, high school, concert choir-type t-shirts. Any sane person (or third world country for that matter) would have thrown them out long ago. I tidily folded them and when Brent came home from work I encouraged him to think about throwing them out. He would never wear them again, we couldn't give them away or we'd have to pay for the accompanying tetanus shot, and they were just taking up space.

However, as I made my plea I could see the look on his face... THAT look. The sweet, sentimental look that quickly told me this pile of garbage meant something to him. His blue eyes cast about as if his dog just died and his lips turned down oh so slightly. Really, it was completely pathetic. So I thought about it and thought about it. Finally I came up with a compromise: I could make a t-shirt quilt that would memorialize these memories for him.

I hate t-shirt quilts. I think I've only seen one that I actually liked. Most of them look like a bunch of sweat-stained t-shirts sewn together which is about as artistic as a chia pet. As I got into it, I found that I actually like hacking into the old shirts. A trip to the fabric store to choose a border proved men really don't care about that kind of stuff, even if it's FOR them. Brent pretty much walked up to the first fabric he saw and told me it was what he wanted. He didn't even look around! He didn't even pet the bolt of fabric! It completely threw me off and I've never been in and out of Fabric Corner so quickly. I entrusted my favorite quilter to make the whole thing look better than I ever could while giving it a masculine tone. With a snow day today, I decided to put on the binding, snip the threads on the back and finish the sucker.

All in all I'm happy with it, Brent's closet is a bit cleaner but even better, he's relieved it's been spared from the garbage. The things we do for the ones we love!

1% Inspiration, 99% Perspiration

The mind of a quilter is a curious thing. I find inspiration for my creations in the most bizarre things: a leaf, a quote, a new stage of life, etc. Since I broke both my arms, quilting has gone by the wayside for me but the passion is still there. My sisters called with a quilting question which led me to thumb through some of my books and the ideas came flooding back. I have half a dozen projects in my mind but I'm having a hard time narrowing them down into THE project. Winter is hard on the heels of Fall and I need to have a good project to hunker down with when the blizzards blow outside my window.

Some women make tons of tiny baby blankets... and they give them away. Other women fixate on one pattern and make 3 quilts in different colors... and then give them away. Me? I make one or possibly two incredibly difficult quilts a year. I pick something way beyond my skill level and relentlessly work to make my vision into a tactile reality. My quilts only come in two sizes: large and huge. And if you've ever managed to receive one of my creations as a gift... well, count yourself lucky because I RARELY give them away. Blood sweat and tears go into every one not to mention a pretty penny. So these are the ideas I have floating around my mind:

A Hawaiian Breadbasket in red and white with dupioni silk. I want to do the backing in a French toile (red and white obviously). The Hawaiians believe when you quilt you leave a piece of your soul behind in the quilt. It would have to be done entirely by hand... applique (which I hate) and echo quilting (which would take forever). I don't know what I'm thinking, but this project calls to me.

A Sunbonnet Sue Gone Bad: I've referenced this in an earlier blog post but those ideas still rattle around my brain. The Yankees fan Sue especially. The Word of Wisdom Sue. I don't know, they're begging to be made. Again, lots of applique (which I still hate). This quilt would be a sort of exorcism because really, I can't stand the Sunbonnet Sue quilts.

A Stack N Whack: Back when I attended quilt guild with the blue-haired bitties one of the month's presenters talked about stack n whack quilts. They look amazing and are supposedly incredibly easy. All you really have to do is find the right patterned fabric and the result is a kaleidoscope-esque creation. One of the things I love about quilting is definitely the fabric. I hold it, stroke it, pet it, listen to it (different fabrics say different things to me, no lie) and most importantly OBEY it. Never go against what a fabric wants done. If you don't you destroy it's life destiny... and yours.

I need help here! What's your vote? Which one should I pursue?

Inspiration

My daily commute on the T is such a great time to just stop and think. As the stations roll by and people get on and off I can let my thoughts ramble on. It was during one of these rides that I envisioned my next quilt.

My thought process went something like this: For Halloween I was planning to get a blonde wig and a cocktail glass and go as Britney Spears. That never quite materialized, but it was fun to have a costume that works specifically when you're pregnant. So I started thinking of who else I could have gone as and that brought me to Hester Prinn from the Scarlet Letter. Then that reminded me of a quilt block I once saw that incorporated Hester Prinn.

For those of you not as fascinated by the quilting world as I inexplicably am, let me introduce you to the "Sunbonnet Sue" block. Let me also explain why this block makes me nigh on violent. Although I can appreciate things that are well-made, or witty, or naturally beautiful, I have an aversion to things that are overly cutesy and sweet. Sunbonnet Sue just happens to fall into this latter category. She's not only impossibly boring, but sickeningly adorable. Usually her dress or bonnet or both are made of a floral pattern. I find a floral pattern I like about once every leap year. I know, that means I should find one this year but I'm kind of busy being pregnant. So anyway, when I come upon a Sunbonnet Sue quilt it makes me want to tear off my own arm just so I have something to throw at it. I feel the same way about Anne Geddes, Build-A-Bear, and Janice Kapp Perry music. *shudders* I just can't handle that kind of stuff. It rubs my cynical self the wrong way... the WAY wrong way. And no, it's not because I'm afraid to get in touch with my sensitive side.

So Hester Prinn and Sunbonnet Sue? you may be asking. Well, once upon a time my sister sent me a link to a website that shows various "bad" Sunbonnet Sue's and a Hester Prinn version was one of them (see http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Oaks/6813/badsue.html). My sister knew this was my kind of website. I love the Mob Sue, the Firing Squad Sue, the Sue shaving her cat! Once I made this connection with about 10 minutes to go on my train ride, my mind started spinning. I could make my OWN version of the bad Sunbonnet Sues! A whole quilt of them. I would delight in defaming this saccharine sweetheart and depicting her at her very worst. Sunbonnet Sue MUST have a bad side... everyone does! I could do a Word of Wisdom Sue whose smoking and drinking! A Road Rage Sue letting out a string of profanities with a raised fist! A Yankees Fan Sue!!!! That one would be the MOST fun to make! Of course I had to call my sister and tell her all about my epiphany and she was completely on board. Surprisingly, Brent wasn't so much. I think that's just because he likes Anne Geddes :). That's okay, I can make this one without his support. Now if only I could find the time...