Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Heart-Speak

The mini quilt top I began piecing at QuiltCon with the Gee's Bend quilters was so very nearly done, that it didn't take long at all to bring it to fruition.
Small as it is - 14"x16" - there's a few things I really like about it. For one, the mix of fabrics - 1 of hubby's shirts (don't worry, I asked first!), some linen-blend and chambray, and then some modern scraps that certainly aren't representative of that used in an original Gee's Bend quilt. That little incompatibility gives me a sort of satisfaction somehow.
I like that little gold triangle - enough that making it the focus of my quilting design was an obvious choice. And I really really like what the quilting did for that blue shirt fabric. It gives a movement I really didn't anticipate, but love.
Remember in my QuiltCon Abbreviated post, when I mentioned the lack of direction in our class? Well from the wonky center square to that scrappy binding, I found that indeed, my heart directed each step, just like the quilters told me it would. Fancy that.

Linking up with Scraptastic Tuesday and Fabric Tuesday. On Wednesday.

10 comments:

  1. so very cool! I too love what the quilting did to that shirt fabric. stunning

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  2. this is such a fantastic mini, very fun.

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  3. I love it! It would look great super-sized too.

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  4. Basing the quilting off of the gold triangle was inspired. The quilting is fantastic and makes your piecing sing.

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  5. Do you think you will embrace the Gees Bend style and make a quilt? I'm glad your heart had the chance to say something - sometimes our heads take over too much. Thanks for linking up to #scraptastictuesday

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  6. This is perfectly scrappy and improv too. I love the palette you chose and it is a nice finish to your class project.

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  7. I did a Gee's Bend quilt when I went to Houston many years ago from the amazing Roberta Horton, who had figured out how to direct us in making "utility quilts," channeling our inner Gee's Bend style. I had a similar experience as you (although under Roberta's skilled hand, probably way more directed than what you experienced) and made little quilt. I still love it, and actually use it when I head to class to teach "Everyday Use," a short story about quilts that I believe are probably these types of quilts. I think the Gee's Bend style of utility quilts can teach us a lot, as you wrote about today. Thanks for a great post!

    Elizabeth

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  8. I love it!! The colors are wonderful!!

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