Friday, June 30, 2017

On UFOs (Unfinished Objects) - This stuff matters... often more than we realize.

Reposted from 1/14/13


Since then, years have passed, my daughter has grown older, and she now maintains an Instagram of her own artwork!

Update: City Quilter will be closing its brick and mortar store on 10/26/16.)

A full decade (and lots of hand-stitching) after I began this project, I took a picture of a quilt I have completed. I took this picture at Christmas, looking up at the front porch, outside, while visiting my in-laws home (in the background), since, where the heck do you hang and photograph a 6'x6' quilt in New York City apartment?  At the time of this photograph, the quilting was finished, and only binding remained to be done. Completely hand-pieced, hand-sewn, and hand-quilted, I often questioned my own sanity, but ultimately, I feel the satisfaction of really calling it "finished".  

With this post, I specifically want to highlight the incredible difficulty of finding just the right fabrics and colors to make this quilt.  I spent a solid two months looking for the right fabrics back then, venturing out to many stores to get the combination of colors I needed.  Nowadays, there is a much closer option... City Quilter.  While not in the garment district, it is energetically walkable, taxiable... subwayable.  For my next quilt... and yes, there will be a next... that will be my destination.

This quilt is a fabric interpretation of a painting my sister created when I was little (1976).  It is called "Family".  My goal was to make a quilt with no machine stitching anywhere at all.  I envision "speaking" to the great-granchildren I may never meet through my own hand-stiching. Please feel more than free to love it, hate it, not understand it.  It's not for display, sale, or art... just love. Our family will be sleeping under it.

Hanging kinda crooked - I was cold and impatient while taking this picture!


My 11 year-old daughter wrote many test essays during her test practice sessions for an entrance exam she just took for a specialized school.  This particular topic in her prep notebook:  "Someone Who Makes a Difference in My Life".  I happened to take a look at it one day, and saw this...



18 comments:

  1. Aw, love the letter from your daughter. Just when you thinking they pay no attention...

    And I would love to see the original painting! Your quilt is awesome. What a work of art.

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    1. Thank you! I should have though to include a picture of the painting... I'm sure I've got one somewhere!

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  2. That essay is precious & a keeper!

    Good to see the quilt (again) & what an undertaking, with all hand stitching! The quilters in my group have been quilting outlines of their own hands onto their special quilts. Have you considered doing that on your quilt? It really leaves an impression of the maker on the quilt for posterity.

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    1. Don't get me started, Quilt B! Mention a hand outline, and I'll do a stitched fingerprint... I'm stopping here. That's it!

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    2. Ha!

      Can't wait to see what you make next. City Quilter is a dangerous place full of fabric temptations & project enablers! :D

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  3. I bet you are filled with pride!

    Congratulations, a sweet essay and a finished UFO.

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  4. Aww, what a sweet essay! And a beautiful creation!

    I've come to think that if you don't do a project that tests your sanity every so often, you're probably not sewing to your full capability.

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  5. What a sweet kid. :-)

    New York Sewer

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    1. She certainly is. Thank you! I'll tell her anonymous you said so!

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  6. The quilt is amazing and I bow to your perseverance -hand-stitched???! And you will just have to keep that essay in a very special place, to bring out whenever you need a reminder that your sweet girl thought of you this way. AND to show her, when she has a child of her own. You are both awesome!

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  7. It doesn't get any better than this!! :o)

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  8. Love love love! So cute! Both the quilt and the letter. By the way I am a 15 yo sewer heading out to the Garment District tomorrow your blog has been indispensable

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    1. You were 15 when you commented here, now my daughter is 16!!!! And you are an adult! Wow!

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