I’m not good at naming quilts (we’ve been down this path before) but when I started this project and decided it was going to be something quite different than other things I’ve made I knew it needed a special name. The fabric itself inspired me to come up with a name befitting the luxury that comes to mind when I think of silk, so this quilt was called “Majesty” before the first stitch. I was thinking of the things I’ve seen in movies about royalty; you know, those huge carved headboards and canopies with the fancy bedding? You admire it and then wonder who launders it!
I did a little planning ahead of time, only in the sense that I “planned” to do more of a traditional style whole cloth quilt (medallion in the centre, fancy borders, symmetry etc.) so it was more of an overall concept than a calculated design. We know that for me, the plan evolves along the way! Certainly that’s what happened here.
I started at the top centre, where I wanted to make a statement, and of course there were always going to be lots and lots of feathers, so that part flowed nicely. I didn’t really have to do a lot of measuring until I happily finished one side and realized that I would then have to duplicate it to the best of my ability on the other! LOL It was a challenge. After laying down the foundation I went back in and added fillers, and then used this process throughout.
For most of the quilt, I just picked one area at a time to focus on, keeping in mind that I was going for the illusion of a plan 🙂 I generally baste the whole quilt at the beginning so I can later roll it back and forth whenever I want to, and for this one that method proved very helpful, especially if I couldn’t quite remember something I had already stitched and wanted to repeat HAHA
I built the structure I wanted in each area, stitched it out and filled it in, and eventually it all came together. Not without a few mistakes and ripped stitches, mind you, but overall it was a very satisfying finish.
And yes, I did have a little bit of that “do I keep this one or not?” going on in my head. I designed this quilt for a couple of specific purposes, neither of which was to adorn something in my own house. But again, as I worked on it and later held it in my lap while hand stitching the binding I wondered about whether or not I should keep it. It is so soft and feels luxurious!
The truth is that this is probably the best work I’ve done in my quilting thus far. I’m both very proud of it as an achievement of my goal, and humbled by it as a reminder that I’m blessed to have found this thing called machine quilting – or did it find me? – that brings me so much joy and gives me so many opportunities to grow and share. This quilt represents some important things to me.
But aside from the philosophical aspects, it also made more clear to me the truth about what “makes my soul shine”: my process, what I do and why I do it, and the importance of knowing those things in my art and crafting life.
When I finished the binding, still feeling just a little bit of doubt as to whether or not I would part with it, I spread it out on my bed and stood back to look at it. I was immediately detached from it. I saw it for what it was and appreciated all of it, and at the same time I knew it was just fine to let it go because the process was over.
I know I mention it often, but I feel I cannot stress enough the value of knowing what your personal process is and allowing yourself to appreciate it!
If you would like a serious peek into some of the work I did on this one, check out the first video below.
If you would like a peek into what happens when things don’t go the way you hope they will, check out the second video below.
If you would like a peek into my real life goofy fun, check out the third video with my Happy Dance!
Wishing you all a great weekend!
Ann Walsh Quilting 