Tomorrow, October 16, our family will celebrate with much JOY what would have been my son, Ian's 39th Birthday. Tragically, we lost our Precious Boy 15 years ago, and not a day goes by that I don't think about him and cherish his presence in my life.
Rather than focus on his absence, I choose to celebrate his life with much JOY ! Ian was a vibrant young man, had just graduated from college, and was about to embark on the rest of his life.
My "JOY" quilt seemed to take on a life of its own as I was working on it ! The background fabric is kind of "glitzy" and reminded me of Confetti - the kind we might throw into the air to celebrate New Year's ….. or a Special Birthday ! I stitched through the fabric, batting and background fabric with Madeira "Monofilament" thread … one of my most often used and favorite threads for machine quilting. [I always use Madeira Monofilament in my bobbins !]
To 'construct' the Heart, I chose a patterned red batik that looked - to me - like it had life flowing through it. The red batik is backed with a vibrant purple to give the "Heart" more depth. I appliqued the heart onto the glitzy background fabric, and machine quilted it using a "cross-hatch" pattern. And then the real fun began ! I "snipped" all the raw edges of the heart; soaked the quilt in water, squeezed out as much water as I could, then tossed the entire piece into the dryer with some towels.
It took several drying cycles, but the quilt finally dried, and the edges of the Heart gave me that "raggedy edge" I was looking for ! I attached the binding, the hanging "tabs," and the label.
We'll be able to enjoy this special quilt many times during the year: Ian's Birthday; Valentine's Day (which our family celebrates as "Harte" Day !); and Christmas. Thanks for letting me share my personal and very special story quilt with all of you..... Peace and blessings, Kathy
Kathy, believe it or not, this is Alice and I am having problems with our Blog! The only way I can comment is to comment anonymously! Anyway, my heart goes out to you as I read this post. I know oh too well the pain of these anniversaries of our beloved ones who are no longer with us. Your quilt is a lovely tribute to your son Ian. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dear Friend....I appreciate your thoughts & prayers.
DeleteSuch a poignant quilt, I am so sorry for your loss but so heartwarming to know that you and your family have chosen to celebrate Ian's birthday with joy. Love your heart, and the background "confetti" is perfect!
ReplyDeleteLovely quilt and so touching. I am so happy that you have been able to feel JOY about such a tragic event. And I agree the heart looks like life is flowing through it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful quilt! A beautiful way to honor and celebrate the joy your son gave you. My heart goes out to you.
ReplyDeleteThis is just beautiful Kathy. I think it is my very favorite of all of your 12 xx 12s! Thanks for sharing the story of your son. Celebrating with joy is so very fitting. Love it!
ReplyDeletechó bull pháp
ReplyDeletechó poodle
chó corgi
phối giống các loại chó cảnh