And Here It Is... "Qualities" Text Quilt

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... And Here It Is...
Qualities 8/2019-2/2020

I so enjoyed piecing two words to contribute to the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild's charity quilt that I was inspired to keep experimenting with text in fabric. In August, I chose "creativity" for my first word. The last word was "originality." With the final stitch to the binding, a seven month project is finished.

To be honest, my "joy" charity quilt block was chosen for it's brevity as well as it's meaning. But, as I worked on it, I started thinking about the joys in my life. That got me thinking of qualities I identified with, qualities I value, and qualities I would like to express more. The list grew quite long and the quilt dimensions kept expanding. Eventually I had to stop at 40 words and leave the rest for another day.

This is the most personal quilt I've ever created. Each word speaks to me. As I thought about how to create them in fabric, it was natural to experiment with typeface and size to convey their meaning. In order to use a variety of type, the words were pieced, foundation pieced, (sewing small/thin pieces to muslin backing for stability), appliquéd, reverse appliquéd, or a combination of these techniques. Some blocks were successful, others ... not so much.

All in all it was a thought provoking experience. Not only was I expanding my quilting skills in the "sampler" tradition, but the creative process gave me lots of opportunity to ponder. For instance, I might be working on "strength" and think of the many ways we express strength: physical strength, strength of character, strength of purpose. Or, as I appliquéd "kindness", a way to be more thoughtful for a friend or family member would come to mind. You get the idea.

This will be my "word wall". If I remember to be patient and fearless, forgive and laugh, to balance the things I want to do with the things I need to do, and bring more of these qualities into my experience, then this quilt is doing its job.
 


(If you missed the quilt that started this all, check out this link:
https://creativelifesampler.blogspot.com/2020/02/vmqg-charity-quilt-this-is-not-my-quilt.html )

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