Friday, August 15, 2008

a rainy walk on the sound







antique-ing in the OBX



Last week I went down to the OBX for a few days. It was lovely to escape to the ocean for a few days. While I was down there I went to a few antique shops with my family and I found some great things. The hats above were in a room in one of the stores, stocked from ceiling to floor. I thought they were beautifully composed.



I got this 1930's baby quilt at one of the stores, it is in great shape, the fabric is so soft it feels like soft cream. The colors are not fading which means that someone took care to keep it out of direct light. This is the kind of find that makes me excited!



All the pretty fabrics sewn in a crazy quilt motif.



The fabric on the back, sweet blue flowers on a creamy white background, so pretty and delicate.

It's finished!


"10,000 Stiches to Understanding"

After a year and two months this circle quilt is finished. I have sent my entry form into a quilt contest and will see what happens. I have decided that even if it does not get into this show I will not be upset, because it is the first thing I have sent into a show in a long time, and that is just as important to me. The artist statement that I wrote for this quilt entry is as follows:

This quilt is inspired by traditional "women's work." The history of quilting dates back hundreds of years in this country,
and with it comes a history of women sitting around stiching. Sometimes waiting for a loved one, other times waiting for a
wedding, a birth or a trip, etc. Women used the stiches as a way to pass moments until the next thing
in their life happened. With that in mind, I created "10,000 Stiches to Understanding", with the only tools to assist me
being a rotary cutter, circle templates, a needle and thread. My hand in the work is important and relates back
to the notion of "women's work". I worked on the quilt for a year, at a time that was full of change, and decision making.
With each stich I thought about life, the people in it and my goals. Now with its completion, I see that I am at a peaceful
place full of understanding about myself and my dreams. As in all of my work, this quilt is made with the past in mind
but looking at the future, while standing in the present.




I can't believe that it is finished, I am ready to start the next intoxicating project...