Project Quilting 12.6 - Ab Intra (From Within)

Project Quilting Season 12 has come to an end. I cant beleive that we are at the end of March already! Participating in these challenges, seeing the first 12 weeks of the year as "challenge weeks" and "off weeks" has a way of making time move really fast. Or, maybe just differently. As always, it's been fun to be a part of PQ. I enjoy the structure, the challenges and the creativity, as well as the community.

This week, Trish challenged us to look within ourselves and create something that represented who we are, or the creative spark that makes us each unique. I don't know why, but as soon as I read the challenge, I kept hearing/thinking "My life is an open book." The phrase popped up in several contexts throughout the first part of the week. Mid-week, I was sitting on the couch in the evening, with no energy or motivation to do anything other than scroll...and I happened across a random post featuring a fabric book. There was the inspiration I needed. I pulled several fabrics before bed that night, heaped them on the sewing room table, and went to bed. I didn't touch them again until late Saturday afternoon.

This project breaks one of my fundamental, personal Project Quilting Rules. I have always tried to make things that were "useful" during the challenges, so that I wouldn't be stuck with "Stuff" sitting around. I have a really hard time making, just to make. That's kind of paralyzing at times, and it's probably why I put off working on this challenge until the last 24 hours! I have this arbitrary "rule" and several others I impose on my life, that really do go against my true nature. These rules, and trying to follow them, are what often cause me the most anxiety and stress in my life. They keep me from being me, sometimes, and make me feel less than I am. It was kind of hard to get this project done, because it meant breaking a rule - and that's how life in general feels, lately. Like I'm doing the wrong thing, when I'm doing the things that feel right.

I filled this little fabric book with the words I know to be true, and the words I want to live by. Not the rules I think I need to follow, but the words that speak to the me I am when nobody/nothing else is putting demands on me or my time or my energy. I created quick little mini quilts filled with fabrics and images that represent both these phases and the best things in my life. For the few hours it took to create this little book, I was reminded what it felt like to just let go and create. No plan, no rules, no purpose other than the process. I don't know what I"ll do with this book, but that's kind of the point. I need to remember that I don't always have to have a plan. This sweet little object can just exist to be a reminder that its OK to just. be. This is me, ab intra.

Thank you to Kim and Trish for another amazing season. It was fun to be part of the record breaking year. I'm so grateful to have won a couple of prizes this year, and I'm going to treat my self to a PQ hoodie this afternoon! Can't wait for Lucky Season 13!!

Project Quilting 12.5 - You're Crazy

This week's Project Quilting Theme spotlights ome of the most classic and recognizable forms of traditional quitlng, The Crazy Quillt. I have always been fascinated by Crazy Quilts, the women who made them and the fabrics they were made from. Making something beautiful from bits and pieces in order to preserve memories AND end up with a funnctional quilt totally appeals to every part of my nature. Crazy quilts just get me, I guess. I spent the first part of the week thinking that I would create some crazy quilt style panels to put on a repurosed sweatshirt that my husband threw out a while ago. I am craving a quilted jacket, and thought I'd test the waters with a faux-quilted sweatshirt cardigan. I had a vision, but, as the week went on I realized I would need more time than the challenge alloted to make something I'd actually wear. And, I have my own PQ rule that I can't buy anything new for challenge pieces. I WILL make that sweatshirt cardigan...but I"m going to buy some fun new fabrics for it! At some point, mid-week, I read a comment that Kim, founder of Project Quilting, posted in response to a participant. She said something like, "You can really go down the rabbit hole with this challenge!" It was one of those "flashbulb" moments I reember learning about in one psychology class or another. In an instant, I had a commplete idea of what I wanted to do for the challenge! And, it pretty much turned out exactly like that vision!

I started by pulling out some vintage pillowcases that I have held onto for a while, some old lace and ric rac, and a bunch of low volume scraps. Isn't it a pretty pile?

It took a little time to make this "slab" quilt as you go style, but it sure was fun! I am sure I was't doing this the "right" way, as I frequently ran into corners and odd angles where "stitch and flip" didn't work. I wasn't too concerned. I just folded raw edges over and sewed on top when that happened. And, I had thoughts of going over those spots with some decorative stitches either by machine or hand. That would have been amazing...but, I got so excited to see the bunny that I totally forgot!

The hardest part, honestly, was deciding which part of the slab the bunny should be cut from. There were so many spots that I loved, either because of the fabrics or the trims. I actually debated turning the whole slab into a pillow because I didn't want to cut it! But, that bunny needed to come to life, and I guess she needed to have that little embroided song bird on her tummy.

Since there was a lot of crazy quilted goodness left, I decided that some easter eggs would be fun. The eggs and the bunny are all backed with pieces of a vintage quilt that I bought with the intention of using it as a cutter quilt. The quilt is lovely. It's an appliqued rose basket motif and beautifly hand quilted. Much of the red/deep pink that was used for the baskets and flowers is gone or badly frayed, but the green vines are in a bit better shape. It was very stained when I bought it from a friend who specializes in estate sale clean up, but it cleamed up very well with just a gently cycle wash and dry. It was hard to cut into the quilt, it really was. But, it's so damaged that noone but me woujld use it on a bed (and there's just a little too much resigual odor left for me to do that). I will get probably 75 small projects out of this quilt, probably more, which means that it willl be loved and appreciated by many more people than if my firend had just stashed it or used it as pet bedding. So, before I cut into it I thanked the quilter who created it, promised her I'd make lovely things out of it, then turned it around to cut the on the plain side beccause somehow that made me less sad. I like to think that the quilter's spirit approves of her handmade legacy living on.

And acutally, that quilter's creative spirit might have stuck around a while after I finished the bunny and eggs, because I started crafting and didn't stop! I painted, cut, glued crafted by little heart out all day and all night and some of the next day, too! I even worked up the nerve to cut a little bit more of that quilt, and I LOVE it.

I suspect that more than one member of my household watched my craft marathon and the small mountain of resulting projects and had a really tough time NOT saying "You're Crazy." They don't get it, and aren't even a bit impressed when I hold up a project and tell them how much it would have cost if I had bought it at a shop. Oh well. If this is what craxy looks like, I'll take it. I'm in good company.

CHeck out all the rest of the crazy quilter's projects over at Persimon Dreams.