It all started innocently and with good intentions. After returning home after my Dad's funeral, I found I just didn't have the focus to continue working on the quilt I had in progress. I needed to do some "mindless" sewing and recover emotionally from the ordeal I had been through. Looking through my library of quilt books, I decided that a pattern called "Candy Dish" might be appropriate. Difficult enough to be a challenge, but easy arc components would get me through some months of just plain sewing. I limited my palette for the arcs to violet,blue, blue-green, green and the 6-pointed stars to shades of red.
On a quilt retreat with lots of quilter friends, I worked on the design wall, moving stars and arc components until I was satisfied. It seemed to be a good idea to isolate the center design and applique in the open area.
The center medallion was looking great. After sewing the components together for the outer border, the first misery appeared...
When I laid the center on the floor with the outer border, all of the applique design vanished into the confusion of the piecing.
I stared at the center medallion for a couple of weeks hanging on the living room wall. Jim, my husband, said "Just make a wall hanging and pitch the rest."
Are you kidding?! I had much too much time invested to throw it out! And, besides, quilters are frugal with their materials. There must be a way to solve this problem...
At one time, it seemed I would have to make two quilts. One with the medallion as a wall hanging and a second, the pieced border with some applique medallion in the middle. This project had started out as a way to pass some time. Now it was turning into a two quilt "monster". I just wasn't willing to invest that much in this project. There are other quilts to make.
As often happens with my work, problems are solved in the subconscious state. I was dreaming when the idea of using the medallion on the front and the border on the back for a two-sided quilt. Great! ... Only one piece to quilt and I don't have to throw anything away. The problem is, I'll have to quilt the center medallion from the front and the outer portion from the back. Will the quilting stitches be consistent? I don't know. I'll worry about that later. Decision made. It will be a TWO SIDED quilt :
Misery #2 appears...
Not wanting to use muslin for the background as neutral prints had been used as background for the arcs, I began my search for the perfect neutral print. Travelling 45 miles south to retrieve "it", I made a paper template for the medallion. The background medallion was pieced into the border and the background border was pieced to the medallion. I was ready to QUILT. Quilt I did... for a week straight. The center was nearly complete. I looked at the back side. Was it me, or was it that you really couldn't see the quilting design? Quit now or do what you know you need to do?
Things are now getting to be pretty miserable. I ripped out all the quilting, ripped off my perfect neutral print and replaced it, both front and back with, you guessed it...muslin.
Surely, this will be the end of my problems with this "filler" quilt. Sadly, it was not to be. I was nearing the end of the quilting process, when I again returned to Minnesota for the funeral of my Mom. It had been a difficult year to say the least. It became important to finish this quilt and put all of this sadness and struggle behind me. It was a great day when the binding was on. I should have quit there...
Misery #3...it's almost over.
The last step in making a quilt for me is the washing and blocking. This removes any markings and makes the quilt lie flat. Into the washer it went with Orvus soap, like I do with all my quilts. I gently hand agitate, rinse and spin. Pulling the quilt out of the washer...HORRORS...one of the red diamonds is bleeding! Not to worry, I'll wash it in synthropol to remove the excess dye. Instructions say to wash it in hot water. Oh, no! I've used a wool batting. Will it felt? I look at the quilt again. Pink diamonds are beginning to appear in five places. Remember, this is two sided, so these diamonds are on the FRONT of the quilt, not the back. Nothing to lose, so in it goes on hot with synthropol.
No-go. The bleeding appears to be permanent. Lots of tears at this point. Jim suggests that he leave home. I sent him to the fabric store instead to get color remover. Eventually, it faded the pink diamonds enough that they are barely visible, enough that I can live with the quilt. The color remover altered significantly almost half of the printed fabrics I used. Many reds became gold and tan, others became "puke" green, khaki or gray. It totally changed the character of the quilt. It now has what I consider "patina", looking very antique.
Every step of the way, this quilt was making me, not me making it!
I'm not sure what the lesson is, but am so glad it's finished. I'm back to the quilt I was working on when this whole "misery thing" got started.
Misery is done.
Now...Onward...Upward!
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