For the love of Becky

Sometimes, life is hard. Our cousin is treading some difficult ground. On one of her visits, she sat wrapped in a very flawed quilt I made. Her words shocked me and set things in motion: "I should commission a quilt from you." Stitching for someone is like infusing love into every stitch. I knew she would love these colors. The original center was very different from the final one. I did a lot of unpicking and growling. It wasn't for naught though.  These are the best pinwheels I've ever made and the new center piece was definitely better. Life is flawed just like the quilt, but life is also beautiful and sometimes, we just need someone to love us. This one's for the love of Becks. Even though I don't get paid.

I love how messy this picture is. It's a messy life and sometimes things don't fall into place. But I hope I can appreciate the beauty of it anyway.

Check out Amy's Blogger Quilt Festival.

Swirls and The Quilt Festival

I can do hard things. And it turns out, they aren't always that hard.  I used to be nervous about colors and circles and intense quilting. After this project, I still am. But not as much.

Nearly three years ago, I saw a quilt top in a book called Strips'n'Curves by Louisa Smith. It was a strata cut and stitched into swirls and circles. I loved it and was terrified of it. It looked so complicated.  Two years ago, I pieced my strata with peaches, oranges, and reds. I loved the strata and didn't want to cut into it. Alas, I loved the idea of swirls more.

 After one year and a myriad of other quilts, dresses, and other projects, the top was ready.  Three more months of sitting and I found a back. Six months and a baby later, the quilt was stacked. Four days of quilting and an hour of binding. It's finally done.

Here is the most intense, on all levels, quilt I have ever attempted. It is steeped in discovery. I love a peachy color scheme. A darning foot makes free motion pleasant. Circular piecing doesn't have to be hard. It's okay to take a long time to finish something. I didn't rush this like I usually do. If my ideas were congealing, I set it aside. It's not perfect technically, but I learned so much and I am excited to look at it.

PS. Check out the festival hosted by Amy.