The Quilt Speaks

The Quilt Speaks

 I cannot count the times I have heard or read a master quilter answer the question of how they determine how they will quilt their finished quilt top by saying, “The quilt top will tell you what it wants.”

Oh really.

I finished a quilt top last year.  The piecing went really well.  I used many of my favorite fabrics.  I added some new techniques.  In all, I was really happy with this project.  I let it “rest” for a while before deciding on the quilting.  Summer 2011 came and my guild was asking for submissions for our fall show.  I got that top back out and put it up on the design wall.  I took it down. I laid it out on the table.  I walked around it for days, weeks.    I was quiet - waiting for the quilt to speak to me.  Then, it happened.  My quilt did speak to me.  Loudly.  It said:

 “Don’t #!@%* this up!!”

I left the room.  I guess we were both feeling a little nervous about this.  Each time I went back into the sewing room, my quilt reminded me of how I had put only the best fabrics into it.  How every star point and corner was perfect.  How easily it could be ruined with the wrong choice for the quilting.  I asked myself, “What’s the worst that can happen?”  That sent me running from the sewing room and slamming the door behind me.

But I kept thinking about it.  I doodled. I sketched ideas.  I began to think about thread.  I got out a practice piece to try some stitches.  I obsessed about batting.  Gradually, each decision was made until everything was done that could possibly be done... except for actually quilting the quilt.  Then my quilt and I had a more reasonable conversation.  I was encouraging, but firm.  We began with a sunflower motif in the center of the star. 

 I drew the circle with chalk, but everything else was freehand in that dark red star.  Then came the small gold stars.  They got a little swirl with YLI gold silk sparkle thread. 

 Then the large white background areas were marked for an overlapping ½” circle design.  That was the end of the marking.  All the rest of the surrounding areas were free motion feathers and fill designs. 

 We were flying!  The outer border had one more feather design.  I bound, washed, and blocked the quilt and sewed a label on the back.  Off my quilt went to the show judge and I finished another quilt that I planned to display in the show, but not submit for judging.

That bossy quilt that tried to intimidate me has nothing to say now.  It appears happy with the two ribbons it won in the quilt show – 2^nd Place for pieced large wall quilt, and show-wide Excellence in Machine Quilting.  I guess we’re both pretty happy.