I have to tell you this to tell you
that. I was having an especially bad night during the planning of
our last quilt show. It was going to be the first quilt show in
history without any vendors and it was going to be my fault. Not
only would they throw me out of the guild I would have to move to
another town. That led me to how did I get myself into this in the
first place (Judy asked me, nicely), why did I start quilting in the
first place (my hands hurt too much to needlepoint) and somewhere
down the trail of beating myself up I started thinking about cave
drawings. Were they drawn because some woman had an overwhelming
need like I do to be creative or was it a to do list for their mate
because post it notes had not yet been invented. Personally I think
it is a errand list. Since they had not developed numbers yet please
follow the dots on the quilt:
- Gurg, I've gone shopping
- I saw a hat I just can't live without
- Please pick up something for dinner
- While you are out look at horses, ours has at least 100,000 miles on him
- Pick up the kids at your mother's cave
- About 5:30
- All of you wipe your feet and wash your hands, I spent all day cleaning the cave
- Does this make my butt look big?
Now for the back of the quilt. There
are caves all over the world with nothing but hand prints, some
dating they think as far back as 35,000 years ago. Here are four
generations of my family, my uncle Vicki who passed away recently,
myself, his great nephew Justin (my son) and the youngest member of
our family great great nephew Hudson Black and his chubby little
baby hand. I included the hands because we communicate with them
more than we realize. Think about how much you say with your hands
without uttering a word.
ohhh love this - tooo funny too! It really could make for an interesting series! I would like to invite you to join us in my blog's link up Off the Wall Friday - where art quilters share their creative posts for the week. We find it inspiring, as well as motivational. Its Open Fri -Sun!
ReplyDeleteJust love it - it is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can add to your list - I can't stop chuckling!
Janet, you are beyond clever. You are brilliant! I would love to interpret the cave drawings myself, but no way could I come up with anything as funny as your list! Especially love the "Does this make my butt look big?" And you've done a "two for one" this time, with the back. Super quilt, front and back!
ReplyDeleteSo funny, clever and well done! Love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat originality. Frustration I suppose is a great catalyst...esp in your case! I so enjoy looking at your list. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a laugh I had when I read your interpretations, Janet! This is so very clever. And, two communication quilts - how wonderful is that?
ReplyDeleteI just LOVE it!
Janet, your narrative is priceless. Gave me a much needed laugh this morning. Also brought back great memories of the cave paintings we saw in Australia,that are so old that animals in them are long extinct, yet they continue to exist and communicate what the artist intended. Brilliant quilt............just love it.
ReplyDeleteLOL Janet! From my "blurb" I too thought of the cave drawings, but am so glad that I went in another direction because mine would have "paled" in comparison to your so funny and clever depiction and brilliant interpretation.
ReplyDeleteLike Alice, my favorite is "Does this make my butt look big?" Both sides of your quilt could be the "A" side as you are right: we do lots of communicating with our hands. How lovely that you incorporated four generations of your family.
Yes I too am laughing hysterically at your interpretations of the drawings - especially the butt one as well. Agree you have two quilts here and both so approriately covering the them. Well done!
ReplyDeleteHigh five for humor and unexpected theme interpretation! You have successfully communicated with our funny bones. Awesome. :D
ReplyDeleteJanet, I have been your side kick, partner in crime (just kidding), best friend and sometimes critic going on 24 wonderful years. Several years ago, you gave me my first sewing lesson and I made my first quilt "Geisha Garden". I was flabbergasted to win two blue ribbons with it that year. To my dismay, you didn't and one point, I thought you might quit. I think I speak for all who know you as quilter and as a friend, "Thank God you didn't quit!" I think that year inspired you, and you have been flourishing ever since. So many would aspire, including myself to have just a little of the talent,imagination and forethought that you present in all of your works. No one knows better than I how hard it is for you to get out of bed and walk the few feet to your sewing room to start something new and wonderful, but you do, and all of us are extremely grateful.
ReplyDeleteLove always, David XO
Thank you for your support and love and what the other ladies don't know is that I am partially color blind and David got into quilting because he has to pick out fabric for me and explain the color to me and carry the load at out home due to my illness and he is the absolute best. Wow that was one long sentence!
DeleteI love this Janet. Two wonderful images, one delivered with great humor and the other an heirloom - both beautiful
ReplyDeleteDavid is right about how lucky we are that you didn't quit making quilts. To see this piece and all the other ones that you have made for this blog is a blessing. Each one is so full of feeling and then there are the ones that give us a whole bunch of giggles, snorts, and chortles that I'm glad we have the opportunity to see and read about these little quilts.
ReplyDeleteThank you Judy, couldn't have done a lot of it without you. I hope you noticed I posted by myself, sort of. I would have preferred the text to be under the picture but I'm just grateful there is anything there!
ReplyDeleteJanet, what do you mean? UNDER the picture? Do you mean you wish that all of your text had been the caption? This can be done, but I don't think you'd have been happy with it then, but I could be wrong..... It is perfect just as you did it, in my humble opinion!
DeleteI tried to put the text for the front under the picture and the text for the back under that picture and couldn't quite work it out and didn't think Judy would want to come over at midnight!
DeleteI tried to put the text for the front under the picture and the text for the back under that picture and couldn't quite work it out and didn't think Judy would want to come over at midnight!
DeleteHi Janet - I loved your quilt and could relate to each one of the cave drawings. How is it that in trying to do the things we love to do, we get so overwhelmed ? I'm guessing that, like me, we all have great numbers of things we love and we try to tend to all of them at the same time and with the same intensity. And thus, the comment "Does this make my butt look big" is the comic relief we all need - a good chuckle at ourselves :-D Great job, and as others have commented - accomplishing a "two-for-one" quilt is way cool !
ReplyDelete