Thursday, October 15, 2015

My Mom's Favorite Shape Is a Circle! Sara's Circle Quilt

I LOVED this theme. I was telling my husband about my planned approach while we were on a road trip headed to Wichita Falls, TX to bicycle this summer. He told me I needed to write down 10 other ideas. Within 10 minutes I had written down 22 ideas (including bicycles!)  but I just had to do this one. My daughter of blessed memory used to say " My mom's favorite shape is a circle because that is how she drives". Well obviously I like circles - that is why is was so easy to think of them! I just had to this one to honor a precious memory of a precious person. She was referring to my horrible sense of direction. Whenever we went anyplace each intersection brought a 1 in 4 chance that I would head off in the right direction. We did a lot of circling around even though I had lived in the same city for most of my adult life.
This was done with very straight forward piecing of the road fabrics into a great map fabric designed by Tim Holtz in his Eclectic Elements collection. I decided to use my newest toy, a 10 needle embroidery machine, to embroider the question marks. I digitized them in 2 different software systems and ended up liking the one built in to the machine after I tested all 3. I used Sulky puffy foam behind the embroidery simply because I've owned it for years and have never used it. It gives great depth to the characters. I drew out a whimsical car and my wonderful husband edited my drawing (at my request!) to make it look more like a car. I copied my drawing to freezer paper and used it to cut out fabric attached to Pellon double sided sticky fusible. I experimented with a messy decorative stitch on the red to attach the red car and decided to finish off securing the appliques with a straight stitch. The car windows are a sheer translucent fabric. Quilting just had to be done with concentric circles. I used my walking foot on pre-chalked circles for the inner circles. The outer ones were done by using a guide on the foot against the previously stitched lines. Edges were done with facings I learned from Shelly Stokes of Cedar Canyon Textiles in an on-line ruzuku class.

Now many years later, I still seem to be going around in circles. I am lucky to have the technological augmentation of a GPS. I get lost much less often

15 comments:

  1. I used to get lost as well! Love my gps!
    And love your whimsical quilt!

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  2. I love this Sara!! How fitting to be able to depict this sweet memory of your daughter! Love the map fabric and your whimsical interpetation. Circular quilting is perfect touch!!

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  3. Sara ... Truly a great piece of work on so many different levels. A tribute to your daughter; your use of so many new and different techniques; collaboration with your husband; the perfect fabrics !; and your disclosure that you (like so many of us !) are directionally challenged ! BRAVO ! Great Job :-)

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  4. Sara, I noticed that you were the first to post! Amazing and atypical! (Just a bit of teasing!) Now to the quilt: Everything that Kathy just said I could ditto. In fact, I think I can say that THIS is my favorite of all of your quilts, for all of the reasons the Mavens above have mentioned!

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    1. Hee hee - I was in so much of a panic about getting it done in time that I convinced myself it was due yesterday - I need to do that more often!

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  5. Sara your story is hilarious. Your daughter must have had your sense of humor. I love the way you always employ some new technique or challenge in your work. Always interesting.

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    1. She definitely had a droll sense of humor. I am trying to honor her memory by living with gusto, creativity, empathy and goofiness. I'm not sure if I am trying to take after her or if she just took after me!
      I had 2 circle stories with her - both driving related. When she was a toddler, I took a corner to fast and she said "Whee". I told her that is centrifugal force. She replied " Mommy, more circulary force, more circulary force!" She certainly understood the concept!

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  6. Sara, you are right. You had to make this quilt! It is so much fun to see what you did and to hear your story. Great job and to use up some of that puffy foam is a bonus!

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  7. I love your quilt. The choice of map fabric is perfect. So many circles

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  8. Great story! You used many interesting elements in creating this.

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  9. Great story! You used many interesting elements in creating this.

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  10. Such a great idea - GPS, where are we without them?

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  11. This is a wonderful story and an amazing quilt to illustrate it. I agree with Alice in that for me, this is my most favorite of all you have done. Great Job!

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  12. Sara, what a delightful quilt! I love that you shared a story about your precious daughter and this beautiful memory of he! I think this is my favorite of all of your quilts - both for the techniques and for the tribute to your daughter! Bravo!!!

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  13. Love your quilt and the precious story that inspired it. I'm pleased that such a simple theme evoked this wonderful, whimsical tribute by you with a very comical memory of your daughter.

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