My very first post on this red and white quilt was January 29th. I put the final stitch in the binding and washed it on April 2nd. I watched the entire two seasons of Shameless, all of Game of Thrones and many, many cheesy Lifetime Movie Network movies while hand quilting. That's a lot of couch time and TV watching/listening .....
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| 52" x 79" |
As I've been stitching away in the evenings I've been contemplating how much I enjoy the whole process. (I know, I know ... I've said it
before). When I'm working on a gift for someone it gives me time to reflect on the person and why I'm making something for them. When I'm done I feel like it's all mine because I've stitched every stitch. I can start working on blocks for a new top while I'm hand quilting another but I don't get much more ahead than that. I really need to complete a project totally and clean up my mess before I can give myself over to another one. That does get frustrating when I have so many beautiful quilts pinned that I'd love to make and so many people I'd love to make them for
**sigh**. That said, I still have no urge to machine sew my bindings.
I've been interested in the
slow food movement and it got me thinking that I'd like to start a slow quilting movement. You know, a movement that would make someone that takes over two months to make a simple quilt feel good about themselves. I even composed a whole blog post about it and had dreams of it taking over the interweb like
Rossi's process pledge. I'd be famous in blogland!
Luckily I googled "slow quilting movement" before I hit the post button. Seems that lots of people feel the same way and have already started their own little movements.
Here and
here are just two of the posts I've read on the subject.
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| My next project in the work. Granny squares with the ORB gang! |
I guess I'm not a groundbreaker in anything quilting-wise so maybe I can start a movement for people who have no innovation or original ideas. Our motto: We're the plodders and the followers ... not the inventors and the starters. The nice part of my movement is there really is no pressure, we just do what we want. Anyone want to join me?
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| The obligatory "quilt in the wind" shot |
Your quilt is gorgeous! I guess the slow quilting idea is one of the reasons I enjoy hand applique so much. It won't turn out well if you rush it. Plus, I don't have a lot of time for handwork, so, when I decide to hand applique a project, I know it is a long term one and I need to be OK with that - better yet, I embrace the slower moments in my life dedicated to that quilt.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I think two months is pretty fast to make and hand quilt a quilt :)
your quilt is so beautiful! hand work and doing things slow is wonderful. I like a mix of both. i do love how reflective quilting can be when i am working on something for someone else especially a close friend or family member.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job!!! So proud of my little plodder...
ReplyDeleteGorgeous job Molly---I just love seeing your projects all done and pretty!! You are a determined hand quilter..I really admire that!
ReplyDeletei think that movement has already been happening all over blogland, it's called 'we the lurkers'.:) really lovely quilt!
ReplyDeleteI adore this quilt, It looks so awesome! I agree with you about plodding. I take my time, I live my life and enjoy other things too. I like to plod, I like slow....but I like challenging myself, so I create my own patterns for kicks. But I do so in slo mo. ;-). Great post
ReplyDeleteI love your quilt! I'm definitely a slow quilter too!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I was thinking about this the other day too! I was looking at antique quilts online, and thinking about the INSANE number of hours those quilters must have put into them - cutting out the pieces without rotary cutters, hand-piecing (often tiny pieces and MANY blocks), hand-quilting, etc. In that respect, what many of us do now bears NO resemblance to the earlier days of our craft. I don't know if I have the patience for slow quilting, but I have SO much respect for people like you who do! : ) And I love that you're bringing back some of the old ways of doing things.
ReplyDeleteI'm with ya, Mol! Of course, I have no interest in beng innovative or exciting. I'm totally ambitionless over quilting!! So I'm totally happy being an Injun and not a Chief!!
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you about the quilting process. I feel so proud when I complete a hand stitched quilt. I do make some quilts by machine and I do a lot of piecing on the machine. But I love to hand quilt. I think it just seems to make it so much more personal and special. When I get to the end of the process, I bind it by hand because I want every single stitch to be hand stitched. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love this approach to quilting. I am not sure it's for me, but I totally appreciate the taking it slow and completing something before a new project. I have the same problem with having so many things I would like to make. I love those granny squares, they are so bright and cheery.
ReplyDeleteLove this idea, Molly - your work is so beautiful and your posts always seem so peaceful to me. Enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteThat quilt is beautiful. I know exactly what you mean - I've really had to rein myself in recently as I've found myself rushing to move on to the next project without enjoying where I am with the current one. What do the Buddhists say, it isn't the destination that matters, it is the journey? Here's to being in the here and now!
ReplyDeleteI will join your slow quilt movement! It's so refreshing to know that I'm not the only slow one out there. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and Red Quilt=AWESOME. You did a great job!!
Even though others have already posted their slow movement manifesto's I would still like to hear yours. I've always hand quilted all my work. Still do. I love the gap of hand stitching. It's repetitive and restorative and devotional.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I like the idea of just enjoying the process. I also would like to make "simple" quilts and not feel like I should be making the pieces smaller or doing a fancier design. I have gone back to college, I work all weekend long, and I still have one child at home. I certainly could make the world's fanciest quilt, but it would take me the rest of my life! I have family and friends begging me for quilts right now and the only way I can get them done is to make them simpler. I also have so little free time to spend on quilting that I really want to enjoy doing it. No more quilt police! (Chant with me!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thoughtful post!
Tricia
I think there's a lot of us out there, but that we skip from blog to blog and forget what we've seen where and THINK that everyone's whizzing through quilts. However in reality, we all take several months to make one. So I think your idea of making us aware of this slower time frame is a lovely idea. And I love that red/white quilt of yours! I just finished putting red diamonds in my Scrappy Stars quilt--I've really come to love red.
ReplyDeleteGreat post--thanks so much.
Elizabeth E.
opquilt.com
I love your quilt! Red and white is my favorite combo.
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous. I have ALWAYS loved red and white!
ReplyDelete