Stitched and Drawn

transition

Winter and Whatever

I am so glad the snow is back. Fifty degrees and sunny is nice too - but it is winter after all.

This quilt has been folded away for a few months short of one year.

One year can seem like no time at all - but January, February and March always seem to last forever. Last year I thought starting something big sounded like a great idea with those three wintery months stretched out in front of me. Spring hit and all things wintery were fast forgotten - but here I am again, at the start of the long haul indoors.

This stitched pattern is always in my head - a layer hovering above the pieced fabrics. The stitches unify what lies beneath them. 

Old and new, winter and whatever are all running into each other.

Construction

I have been thinking a lot about the ways I build a quilt in order to make covering a cloth in hand stitches from edge to edge manageable. Working on a small scale has been helpful and I love the look of the all over stitches. I love the meditative process of sewing the stitches and the feel of the finished cloth.

These last few weeks I have been working and daydreaming of ways to include areas of dense stitching as a design element and strengthening element but changing the construction a bit to allow a cloth to grow into something that can keep my children and my family warm and cozy. So I am going to try working towards building bigger - one block at a time.

This red and yellow shoofly block given to me by my grandma. It was likely given to her by her mother or maybe a friend.

List

The short list of plans for my needle and thread in the new year:

- start and complete a collection of small quilts that have been developing in my sketchbook

- make and mend the things that are needed and wanted for my boys, my family, my home and my friends

- document the way the fibers of a quilt and the threads of my days are all a part of the same patchwork

My long list is much more adventurous - but I am hopeful these few things may lead to all the others.

Happy New Year!!

hold

snow