This is the finished “Waiting for Jessie” quilt. It had a strange history (see below) with much cutting and moving of pieces. I started with a lot more purples. At one point there was a little Japanese doll fabric square in the border. The moon was bigger. When the quilt resurfaced after a long hiatus of being hidden in a pile, I renewed my efforts to finish for my friend’s birthday in July (originally it was for her 50th – and made during a time when she was often up late waiting for her daughter to get home. Now that daughter is a senior in college and her younger child just graduated from high school!!).
A couple of weeks in, during this round, I found myself hating the raw-edged trees with their zig-zag stitching, but wasn’t willing to begin again, so I kept embellishing to try and make them ok. Added some mottled red kimono silk as a path. I like that path.
But, the trees never really got to a place where I think they are ok. I added some batik that looked like trees, and that helped, but mostly because it distracts you from the trees in the central square.
Because the process was a series of problem-fixes like that, and because I was trying to incorporate some new approaches as well (prime among them – more embroidery), it’s not surprising that it’s not quite a fully realized piece.
But this is how life goes (or mine does anyway). We start. We change our minds. We botch. We fix. We experiment. And, at some point, it’s good enough.
Here’s the years-old starting point:
Love this, and great for people like me who just don’t know how to go about creating something like this is to see it right at the beginning. The bare bones. I’ve been struggling with my knitted blanket as some of the squares are pretty complicated for a beginner, and I get so hung up with getting it right… you’re so spot on with what you say – the most important thing is to START!!! 🙂
and to be reasonable about keeping going, right? with three little ones, time is precious, I know.
I know it!! I just have to do everything all at once!!! I’ll slow down one day, just not yet 🙂
WOW, this is beautiful… I especially love the trees in the middle and how you did the leaves, the colours make me droool, so good. The very part that disgruntled you is the part that really sings to me, just lovely <3
dee…this has been a true labor of love, placing this comment…if it works????
but
i really so much LIKE what happened here, how long it took, how it changed.
and i think all that is so important.
it’s soft and uhhhh, vulnerable.
so…this is me, grace, windthread, jude hill, spirit cloth also
karmadondrup lhamo…my buddhist name that i used for wordpress because it’s so f…ing nuts, all these passwords…ok….let’s see if it works THIS TIME???
hooooohooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT WENT THRU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate the passcodes to post a comment, and the passwords to have this or that… having typepad acct has screwed me up some, as does logging in through eblogger — anyway, I’m glad your comment made it this time, Grace! I appreciate the feedback (and now I know your Buddhist name!)
I think this quilt turned out really beautiful. You have a lucky friend.
i felt the same way about the trees!! before i read your words i was admiring them. so interesting to read about the history of this piece and your thoughts on it – the result is really quite amazing!