New Project: “Reminders”

Hi everyone.  Long time no post!

I started a new side project recently, called “Reminders”.  I came across a great blog post on “Hyena in Petticoats”… it was a step by step guide to making a cathedral windows quilt.  http://hyena-in-petticoats.blogspot.com/2007/08/cathedral-window-quilt-tutorial.html

I’m not a GREAT seam-matching precision piecing kind of gal, so I’ve always been a little intimidated by traditional quilt designs.  But this one was easy!  There is actually very little sewing involved.  There is a LOT of folding fabric origami-style and ironing, so beware of the steam setting (I already scalded myself several times).  In any case, I had a lot of small scraps of really beautiful batik fabrics which were languishing in plastic boxes.  So I gave this project a try. 

The nice thing about this project is that it is finished as you go.  I can add rows of windows until I like the size.  And it is automatically quilted when you sew the colored windows into place.  Nice!  When you sew each row, you are left with these floating folded triangles along the edge (see detail photo) – just waiting for the next row to hook on to them.  So far I have 47 “windows” completed.  My goal is to have 95.

The title “Reminders” refers to several ideas. 1. Each one of these fabrics is from a past composition.  When I look at them, I’m reminded of how much I enjoy making fiber art!   2. It’s a reminder that things don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful and valuable.  I might be tempted to focus on the mismatched points and uneven folds in the white fabric, but instead I’ll look at the beauty of those colorful little diamonds.  3. Why 95 windows?  Followers of Baha’i faith repeat the name of God 95 times per day as a form of meditation & prayer.  It is called an “obligatory daily remembrance”.

Basically I’m creating a visual reminder to myself to stop and reflect, to take some time to pray each day.  And to look for the hidden gems in life.  It can mean different things to different people.