Sunday, December 06, 2015

Proud, happy & thrilled

I began piecing this quilt more than 3 years ago; looking at my blog posts about it, I see I got the top put together in about a month. I basted it in the late Autumn of 2012, then began 3 years of quilting.

3 loooong years of quilting.

Not 3 constant years of quilting -- I would work diligently for a while, be overcome by the boring & tedious nature of the quilting I chose, then I would put it away for a month, a few months, a year. I finally got tired of the thing lying around & soldiered through. I put the last quilting stitch in a week ago today. After finishing, I would have Sworn an Oath that I would never quilt another quilt in that sort of dense, echoing way again.

But a week has passed & the memory of the boring tedium is fading.

Some time ago, after 2 failed attempts, I got to Hollis Chatelain's class at Quilt Festival, "Quilt Line as the Third Design Element." The only class supply we were to bring was an un-quilted top. Through the day of the class, the 25 or 30 of us would show our top, then with Hollis leading the discussion, we would talk about ideas of how to quilt it. I think after waiting years to get into this class, my expectations were pretty high. I suspect I was hoping for some sort of magic algorithm -- 
If This, Then This = Awesomely Quilted Quilt. 
Instead, through the day I heard Hollis ask the same set of questions to each of us. By early afternoon, I was sitting there like Peggy Lee wondering, Is That All There Is?

It has taken me this long to find the value in the questions Hollis asked each of us:

What is this quilt for?
What is your favorite thing about it?
What do you want to emphasize?
What do you want to achieve?

My Laura's Lightning is to be a utilitarian quilt; I really like the combination of fabrics, colors & I wanted to emphasize the zigzag streaks of lightning. I think I may have blundered onto the perfect quilting to achieve that. I am now hand-stitching the binding & am eager to pop it in the washer & dryer & get a good look at this quilt.





In other news, the chaos & mess in my sewing room has gotten SO BAD, trees are starting to grow!

6 comments:

ES said...

Horaay for your finish :)

Quiltdivajulie said...

Oh, I love the growing trees!

Ruth said...

Oh Beth, it's so beautiful. I hope you will post a photo after washing so we can see the whole thing. With these glimpses I know I love it. Congratulations, and thank you for sharing the backstory. I love hearing about the process.

Julierose said...

funny how often our expectations either make something fall short--or make us realize that "That's All There IS!" in fact. I am trying to go along with this Holiday using my handwork piece and Steven's blocks to "move on". Only five more spiders to go...then onto the quilting in January--hopefully. My "Grief Cloth" is putting what I am feeling into sharper focus..... hugs, Julierose

Rachaeldaisy said...

3 years? by golly, I remember when you started this quilt! It doesn't seem that long ago. It looks wonderful all quilted and swished in the photos. I love the little forest growing on your design wall.

O'Quilts said...

So many wows...3 years? Yup I relate...Done...wow...beautiful...wow..trees....wow...and you really got the season right too.

Done is the best wow ever. I too cannot wait to see it washed