Monday, April 20, 2009

My favorite quilt

Amy at Park City Girl has organized an online quilt festival, complete writh prizes. Woo hoo!!

At the time of this writing, there are 398 participants! Besides posting a picture of a favorite quilt, she wants a story about the quilt.

Picking my "favorite" quilt is nearly impossible. Lots of times it is the one I am currently working on, or the one living in my head just waiting for the time to make its appearance.

They don't all have interesting stories, but if you ask Mark about this quilt, he will probably say he thought he might lose his life over this one. Of course that wouldn't have happened. I'm sure it didn't even cross my mind at the time. Not really ...
This is actually one of my first quilts. I saw a tiny 3x3 inch picture in a magazine and fell in love with it. The block is a classic kaleidoscope block. The thing that so intrigued me was that the original quilt was made in quadrants, each quadrant mirroring the other three, but in a different color. I became obsessed with this quilt. I spent hours searching for the perfect fabric for each piece. Sometimes I would buy 1/8 yard (the small amount most stores are willing to cut for you) in order to cut just one triangle out of it.

We have a really long hallway right outside our bedroom, with enough wall space to give me a large design wall. I spent hours putting each triangle on that design wall, moving things around, studying it to make sure the colors were progressing properly, that each quadrant was an exact mirror image of the other three. Nothing was pinned onto the design wall, mind you. I would just pat them on and they would stay there...under normal conditions.

One day I was nearing completion of getting it all on the design wall just the way I wanted so I could start sewing. It was also laundry day and I had piles of laundry all sorted on the floor in our bedroom. Mark had taken off a shirt and decided, from the opposite end of the hallway, to try to throw his shirt onto the pile in the bedroom. He wound up that throw like a major league pitcher and let go of the shirt. As it flew down the hallway, it created a little wind current....and what followed was the most colorful display of little fabric triangles, floating and fluttering like leaves, around and around....and down to the floor.

We were both speechless....for different reasons, of course. All those hours I had spent arranging and rearranging. We looked at each other and he said in a panicked voice, "Um, I think I will leave the house for awhile."

I don't think I was ever actually mad at him, just shocked as I saw all those pieces floating to the
ground. And while I have named most of my other quilts, I haven't been able to pick out a good name for this one. "Near Death Experience" sounds so dramatic, in a negative way. Any suggestions?

42 comments:

05 08
Bunny said... #

extraordinary! I like the Name "Near Death Experience". The thought running through your husbands mind after the "wind" and the light center, like the light at the end of a tunnel.

Terrie Sandelin said... #

Gorgeous quilt, and I laughed aloud reading the story -- only because it only takes looking at the quilt to know it's an "all well that ends well." And "Near Death Experience" sounds just about right!

Unknown said... #

'And it was at this moment, your Honour, an altercation broke out!' - oh dear, not sure I could have been so forgiving - mind you my DH did blow the computer board on my newish Bernina some years ago by messing around with the house electrics and popping the fuse box - £200 bill and a long period of non-speaking breakfasts ensued I can tell you, and boy was he meek! Never did it again though :o)

Jocelyn said... #

Oh my! What a story! I think you need to find a good name for that quilt. Maybe "wind and fire" because the wind your dh made caused him to fire out of the house in a hurry :-) It is a fabulous quilt. Thanks for sharing.

Carol said... #

Love how it turned out.

"They went what way? "

Andrea said... #

Oh my gosh I LOVE your story! I nearly spat my diet coke out!! LOL! Your poor husband...he must have felt so bad! (yes, poor you, too.)

reincarnation?

What a spectacular quilt!

Grandma G said... #

Wow, that quilt is ALIVE! When I first looked at it, it was like the center was shifting around... I thought I was seeing some weird video. Strange optical illusion.

How 'bout calling it "Alive"?! The quilt is alive, and Mark still is, too. ;-)

Abby and Stephanie said... #

Whatever you decide to call it I'll just call it stunning.

Zonnah said... #

Wow! this is so Beautiful. I love it :) I chuckled at your husbands response.

Katie said... #

I laughed out loud (for a long time) when I read your story. That is really, REALLY funny! I don't really have a name for you, but just wanted you to know that your story was the best :)

Susan said... #

One of my favs in this virtual show- I have a pattern of Joen Wolfram's (sp?) with a similiar layout of colors that I've been wanting to do for years. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

Sarcastic Quilter said... #

This is a stunning quilt.

I had a vision of my hallway and my dh doing the same darn thing! LOL I like the "Near Death Experience" for a name but I also think, "Gliding Colors" might work since they gently flew along the t-shirt breeze.

BTW, where did you get this pattern, I really want to make a version of this but I promise to pin it to the wall. I've learned from your hubby's antics! :)

Scrappy quilter said... #

OMG, that is stunning!! The colors are brilliant as is the work. Beautiful.

Cindy's Stitching said... #

Amazing design and color.

JHNickodemus said... #

Ahhh I gasped and held my breath through the whole story! I like Grandma G's idea: alive!

Helen said... #

hello number 400. that's a great story and a beautiful quilt.

Hooked on Quilting said... #

Loved the story and the quilt!!! Beautiful colors!

The Luedtke Family said... #

How about "Near and Dear" for a title/name? It captures the "Near Death Experience" and the fact that the quilt is dear to your heart and the wall. (Oh, and that Mark is dear to your heart too!!!) Near and Dear is so positive, but no one will know the underlying, hidden meaning.

Sarah said... #

Oh my gosh, this quilt is amazing!!! I love it so much - this might become my obsession, though I can't hope to ever make one this beautiful.

Rhonda said... #

LOL about someone thinking they'd lose his life! Your quilt is gorgeous. I love it!

Isa said... #

great story, and a beautifull quilt, how long did it take you to arrange them again?

Doris said... #

It's gorgeous, the story is heartbreaking and amusing all at once. And I think Mark suffered enough on the inside. Right? Curious how big it is?

My best friend and roommate at the time (she still is my best friend, nearly 20 years later) put a hole in a drawing that took me 80 hours to draw because she was "just messin' around". We still talk about that and she still gets a sheepish guilty look!

Quilt Rat said... #

This story is too funny (probably because it did not happen to me) The quilt on the other hand is SPECTACULAR!
You are #400....OMG I have visited 400 blogs so far and I have a long way to go but this is a fabulous festival!

Karen said... #

One of your first quilts. Wow! It is so striking! Good job.

Anonymous said... #

That is awesome!

Carlotta said... #

That quilt is so cool!! I love it.
~Tootles for now!

Lisa D. said... #

The quilt is absolutely amazing, and that story of it's creation is just too funny. Thanks so much for sharing both!

Quilt+Bitch said... #

Magnificant! For one of your first quilts, I am impress! Beautiful.

Mary P said... #

This is beautiful. I loved your story. I think you have a very wise husband!!

stitchinpenny said... #

Love how you use light to dark to make a statement.

Unknown said... #

stunning!! It is truly amazing :) Cute story too! Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said... #

So heart breaking at the time, like losing the only copy of your first novel, nothing you write is ever as good, but this quilt is pretty damn fine! But now a fabulous story, hindsight and the passing of time eh! It is such a great kaleidoscope design, lovely colour placement.

Michelle said... #

I have to let you know that I spent a long time looking at parkcitygirl's quit "market" yesterday, and I came away wondering if NO ONE makes beautiful quilts after all. then I happened upon your blog today, maybe from oh fransson? and WOW, this is incredible. thank you thank you for restoring my faith. gorgeous!

Anonymous said... #

What a great story and what an amazing quilt!

I'd be tempted to call it Laundry Day b/c there is usually a kaleidoscope of colours on laundry day and of course b/c of the story.

thefisher said... #

How about "Dumbstruck?" It's kind of a double entendre for a strikingly beautiful quilt and a dumb-ass who needs to be whupped up the side of the head.

Coloradolady said... #

"close-call" or "nearly out"

This is a lovely quilt, breathtaking. I can tell it must have taken hours on end to complete = twice.

Seedplanter said... #

So glad I found this blog. Your quilts are lovely - so colorful and bright! My grandmothers both were quilters, but one died before my parents met and the other one, when I was four. I worked to complete one of their quilts, though, after my mom discovered the 75-year-old quilt top in the bottom of an old trunk!
What an experience that was.

By the way, I like your choice of music! A nice addition to this site.

Mid Life Cry Sis said... #

Gorgeous quilt, and I LOVE the story. I know my husband has feared for his life over quilting a time or two as well.

Name suggestion: It's Raining Rainbows

Lucy said... #

I call it stunning... but I see soem great suggestions in the comments. Really a true of work of art. Love it.

me said... #

How beautiful!!! I love it! I think my husband might have started running at the wind point... lol

Quiltin Jenny said... #

"Laundry Day" is pretty darned good.

I also thought of "The Big Bang" because I'm sure that's what your DH thought was coming.

Absolutely stunning quilt. A real winner.

Anonymous said... #

Your first? Are you kidding? This is a fabulous quilt! So bright and beautiful.