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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Oct. Journal page finished

I decided to finish the edge with a satin stitch with a multicolor thread. I thought a binding would look too bulky. When I look at it now it looks like leaves floating down with trees in the background. If I had tried to achieve that effect I doubt that I would have been able to. I like it when things just fall together and seem right. I put a batik with some similar colors in it on the back. I hadn't thought about a label yet. Sometimes I just write with permanent marker on the backs, my name and the year. These journal pages are going to be visual, not wordy. I may start another series of them with words if I feel it is necessary.
For those of you who don't know the story about journal pages, here is how it got started. Jeanne Williamson decided to make one small quilt each week in 1999. They were all 8" x 10" and she continued doing this for seven years. In 2002 Karey B. organized the Journal Quilt Project in which each piece should be 8.5" x 11", the size of a piece of copy paper in the US. So Jeanne was the pioneer and then it became a world wide project for many people. Most people make a piece for each month and a lot of them have themes. Many of you have seen them on display at the big quilt shows such as Quilt Festival in Chicago in April each year.

Making small pieces gets you really in touch with each stitch. You may try new ideas that you don't want to jump into on a large piece. The piece is done in a shorter length of time so there is some instant gratification, something most of us need when we see our many unfinished projects stashed away. I think they need to be made impulsively, not as if it is a chore.

16 comments:

  1. Hi Wanda, Thanks for all of the history on Journal
    pages. I guess we did see them in Chi. at the
    Quilt Festival in April.Thanks, Thanks. Yours is
    beautiful. jmh

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  2. That is so gorgeous. It really draws you in to study the leaves - just like seeing a perfect red leaf on a tree! Thanks for the history of the journal page quilts -- I didn't know anything about it at all!

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  3. Hi Wanda,
    Your journal quilt is enchanting, almost like looking outside on a fall day with the fall sun shining through the woods.
    Thanks for the info on the journal quilts. You made it sound less daunting than I had imagined. The ones that I had seen a few years ago were heavily beaded and otherwise embellished, making me think it wasn't anything I wanted to do. Yours looks do-able.
    Vicky F

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  4. Your leaf quilt is lovely. I love journal quilts - I made a few but I didn't have the dedication to make them every month. I still do a few from time to time, just call them doll quilts now!

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  5. Journal quilts... I did not know the history as well. And love your creation of leaves for the month of Oct.

    Would love to see those photo's that you shared with us ~ of butterflys and flowers printed out on fabric. Just know you would give them a stunning backgroud also.

    J~MT

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  6. Again, you inspire. Our fall here is magnificent - no frost yet so all flowers are still lovely and the sky is breath-taking each day, yet I'm often more inspired by what you are doing - you make it so doable!

    ta!

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  7. Thanks for sharing the origin of the journal quilts. I love your October quilt! It really does look like the leaves are falling from the trees.

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  8. Wanda, Your page came out beautiful! It really catches the color of the season.

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  9. This piece is lovely. I have some scanned leaves from about 6-7 years ago which you have inspired me to play with

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  10. As usual, it looks wonderful...

    Thanks from me, too, for 'splaining about the journal quilts. I had it on my "things to Google" list, but hadn't gotten there.

    You're right - a small project like that does seem do-able, and it's good advice that it shouldn't be a chore. "Inspiration-based" design. I like that...

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  11. Awesome! This is really a wonderful little quilt. Thanks for the history of journal quilts, I hadn't known it.

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  12. Thank you for sharing about the Journal Quilts. I was looking at yours, yesterday, & Gom came in & was most impressed. He doesn't often admire such projects.
    I think you have done a beautiful job of the whole page.

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  13. Wanda,
    What an interesting story about the journal pages- I had never heard of them before.
    I loved the strata background and the leaves look terrific.
    I have just got a new book called
    Stravarious quilts. The quilts are yummy looking - you would love the designs.
    Thanks for sharing the information about the journal quilts.
    Regards,
    Anna

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  14. This is a lovely journal quilt! I just made my first one and it is gratifying to finish something so quickly. I agree that it is something to be done impulsively. It keeps it fresh.

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  15. I love using real leaves in my quilts... so much you can do with them. Lx

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