because it's been COLD all week, and it's starting to snow again- as if we haven't had enough already for early December. If I knew all this was going to magically go away on 2 January, I could live with it- but the likelihood is that we'll be dealing with cold and wet and snow well into March.
Here's the current view of our street, looking east towards the mountains-
Yeah, the mountains you can't see because of the low clouds full of snow!
I have actually been spending time in the studio. I've been cleaning and reorganizing, and got my first (to me), anyway, 12 by 12 piece done. I think the reveal on those is next week. And, I pulled out the very first quilt I made and looked it over.
My son Ian called this week, asking if we had any homemade Christmas ornaments I'd be willing to part with. I did, actually, and then remembered a box of his stuff at the top of our coat closet. I pulled it down, and there was the quilt. Wow.
It's a Margaret Miller Sizzling Strips quilt- one I had great fun rotary cutting the strips for at Primary Children's hospital in Salt Lake when Shannon was there with leukemia. It was great therapy for me. I still love the design and the colors, black and red remain a combination I use- check out our living room!
What struck me was the dearth of quilting! I took this one to a quilt shop when they had just gotten a longarm and were starting to quilt for their customers. At that point in time, it was all about the pattern and colors in a quilt for me- the quilting was just there to hold the layers together. As I recall, the shop was so new at this, they didn't even charge me for the work they did. It's quilted in an overall clamshell pattern, not that close.
What a difference fourteen years can make! Now I'm thinking about the quilting when I'm designing and constructing the top. Even my not-so-closely quilted pieces, like Out of the Blue, have more quilting than this one!
But this will still look good on a wall, so I'm sewing a sleeve on it before I send it off to Ian in Chicago. I hope he still likes it!
And here's hoping you are staying warm and cozy, and having a relaxing and creative weekend.
4 comments:
that's a very cool quilt--no matter how much quilting it has!
I still have that book, I think. I made a Strips that Sizzle as a wedding gift for a cousin,who loved it and still has it hanging. Good grief, we've come a long way, haven't we? And Margaret Miller is still coming up with new ideas for the next generation! I am sure Ian will love it.
Well here in Oz, it is so hot that your feet burn on the pavement :) and I expect this till Feb - March. Wish we could swap for a few days a month, just for a break :) Constant air con gets pricey.
That is a great quilt! Funny how quilting styles can change and how even your own tastes change over they years with experience gained.
Post a Comment