a stumbling flag

 a folk art quilt for the family
made from false starts

by false I mean
'not followed through'
I do not mean lies

True starts
nine patch, flying geese, curved pieces
and layered scraps that look like houses
Also there are red left overs,
dots and hands and hearts
diamonds are forever I thought

geometric shapes - triangles, circles, squares, little grids
big stitches made with a big needle

a puzzle between the patterns
that fit together like a jig saw
like a zig zag
like a stumbling flag

quilts are flags for the bed said Margaret Atwood

the batting is a thin piece of harem cloth
to give it an inside
the backing is some rayon I purchased for a skirt, never made,
another false start

this is not a peaceful quilt or a quiet one,
it is messy and loud and full of false starts
linked togethher with threads that I untangle from each other and proceed
I connect myself together with these stitches,
watching downton abbey for the second time
home made cookie, cup of red rose

he said that I have been through a lot
she said that I was hiding

quilt as you go

In 1987, I taught myself the "quilt as you go"  method for making quilts.  Shown is one of the quilts I made with this technique that year.

Our youngest daughter (April) was born that year.

 I used my own blouses made from Indian cotton as the starting point for this white crazy quilt.

Each 5 inch block was constructed and quilted at the same time using stitch, flip and a sewing machine.  The blocks are joined with sashing on the reverse side.  I thought this quilt was lost, but I found it yesterday.  (read more about that discovery on 100 quilts.

 Log cabin (above) was also made in 1987.  (quilt as you go method)

 Blackwork was also made in 1987.  Quilt as you go technique.

 Above - the first quilt I made when we moved to Manitoulin in 1993.
 A bed size scrap - quilt as you go technique.

The last time I used this method was seventeen years ago.
 Hearth Rug For Hestia in 1998.  It is hand quilted.

I saw a butterfly, there can be more to life

 I made this quilt in 1988.  (when she was three)

 Grace took it to university with her in 2003. (when she was 18)

 I'm glad to see that she really used it.

 I had discovered painting on fabric around that time.

I remember painting and then appliqueing these fantastical butterflies onto the scrap quilt base.

 The title is from a book I was reading at the time  about caterpillars. (and society)

I've started to mend this quilt for Grace.  She still loves it and uses it all the  time. (just turned 30)

A small thing I can do for her in the big picture of her life.