Friday, September 16, 2016

Three precious quilts come home...............

I made this quilt in 1993.  The quilt shop that I taught at had just become aware of Hoffman batiks a few years before that.  I was giving programs and workshops in many areas in northern IL at the time so I shopped at all of the quilt shops in the area and finally had a good selection.  I started out with 1/4 of the center portion thinking I was going to make a colorwash vest.  After I had made 3 sections and liked them together on a design wall I designed the 4th section to melt them all together.
Most of the batiks in that time period were pink, gray, purple and turquoise.  The name of this piece is "Cosmic Beauty".  I loved the crazy pieced columns on each side.  In fact I loved this piece so much it hurt to sell it but I needed the money.  That was in 1995 if my memory hasn't failed me.  My friend who purchased this one and 2 others has moved a couple times and thought it was time to send them back to me.  I am overwhelmed with her generosity.
She also purchased this one that was made in 1994.  It is called "Doorway to the Unknown".  I was going through a major change in my life at the time I made it.  I did a lot of crazy piecing during the early 1990s.  I put on facings instead of a binding on this piece.  The crazy pieced columns are mostly batik fabrics and all of the rest is regular quilting cotton prints.


This is the third piece that she purchased in 1999.  I started it in 1998 and at the end of that year I started experiencing a heart beat irregularity, a severe one.  In January 1999 I finally went to a doctor when I was afraid I was dying.  After all, we need our hearts and there was no heart disease in my family so this was scary.  The healing began but I still was scared and I had to hurry and finish this piece, one that I thought might be the last piece I was ever going to make.
I used Cherrywood hand dyed fabric for the stylized flowers that are free motion embroidered before the layers were assembled.




I made several pieces with this type of flowers but this is the best one.







They are generic flowers with a slight resemblance to the shapes of real flowers.






This photo in low light coming from the right shows the quilting.  At that time I free motion quilted all of my colorwash quilts with clear monofilament thread.  I quilted grass at the bottom and circular 4 and 5 petal groups in the top and meandering in the border.

23 comments:

Sewing Junkie said...

So nice to receive them back. Also a great example of things we have done. Hopefully you can find a location in your home to enjoy them again. Chris

Debbie said...

Cosmic Beauty is fabulous! Just out of this world. So glad you got it back to enjoy and share with us.
Doorway quilt has an emotion attached to it and it comes thru to me. But the last one of your flowers is a pure delight.....love the texture. I understand what you mean about "the last quilt"....as I have been facing that and hating that I even think of it.
So glad these are home for you to enjoy or pass on to others.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

These are all beautiful pieces - I bet you were surprised to receive them. - they came home!

Gene Black said...

What a delight to get the quilts that show your journey, in both quilting and life, returned to you.

martha mumaw said...

Love your applique on your colorwash! I have not got to my sewing room to start mine. I am biting at the reigns to start.

Sylvia Anderson said...

How wonderful for you, that your life, at that time, in quilts has come back home for you to cherish. What a truly good friend you have in this person. These are all beautiful quilts, each with a story that only you can really appreciate.

Unknown said...

These are amazing! You are my favorite quilter and I find your work inspirational. I'm sure your health was very frightening at that time. I'm so glad you lived on to continue with your art and to share it with us! Thank you!

Edith said...

Wow, absolute beauties, I'm impressed with their timelessness.

Nann said...

How generous of your friend to give you your quilts! I especially like the first one. Your quilting style was quite radical for the early 1990's, wasn't it?

Linda at Roscoe's Ma said...

They are all beautiful!! What a wonderful friend!! Congrats on your giveaway win the other day. It was a giveaway just made for YOU!

rondiquilts said...

A beautiful post to read today.

Rondi

Hedy said...

Beautiful quilts, it's great to be able to express our feelings in our quilts.

Alice said...

They are so beautiful. My fav is the colorwash with the flowers. Did you use a stabilizer on the flowers? So nice of your friend to send them back. Very special. I'm very happy you went on to make many, more quilts.

Wendy Caton Reed said...

What a special treat to have old friends back again.

Linda Swanekamp said...

I was so touched by your post today. This proves the special nature of quilts and fabric in our lives. I so enjoyed seeing all three. Love the crazy piecing. Give them a hug from me!

Needled Mom said...

What a thrill it is that you have them back home now. I'm sure that the memories of the times and events when creating them must have come pouring back as you looked at them.

Taos Sunflower said...

This is so wonderful. I'm so happy these came back to you!

Cindy P. said...

What an inspiring story of these three lovely quilts and thankful you have turned the corner on your medical issue. Your creativity needed to continue for you and for all of us, who get to peek at all you do! Thank you and God bless you. XOXO

Anonymous said...

You need to write a book. You allude to interesting, life-changing, events in your life. I can see a book where you weave your story in text with pictures, patterns and tips of quilts that represent or were inspired by that time period. You should seriously think about this.

Quiltdivajulie said...

Full circle stories are some of the very best. Kudos to your friend for sending the quilts back to you and thank YOU for sharing them and their stories with us.

Beautiful quilts!

Charlotta said...

Those are all absolutely beautiful quilts! I'm so glad you actually appreciated getting them back. I've never sold quilts and don't really try to do so. But I've given away a whole lot of quilts. About a year ago, a dear friend returned her quilt to me, and at first I was really sad. But she did it because she was downsizing, and really didn't have room for it. I finally talked her into taking a much smaller quilt instead and subsequently turned her big quilt over to some mutual friends whose house had recently burned down. They'd lost all their belongings, so they very much could use a quilt.

Lynn Dykstra said...

How wonderful to get them back and to realize they really are as special as you remember them to be.

Tammy Hutchinson said...

I'm just catching up after a couple weeks away with family and so glad that I didn't miss this post! cosmic Beauty is a real beauty and has given me flower inspiration! Thank you for sharing and the KF catalog is going great also and will be a great help to many.