Friday, August 9, 2019

The Evolution of an Idea (or how my mind works)




This IG post by Edith aka piecing passion 
recently caught my eye.

I love the red cornerstones, 
the scrappy sashing, 
and the wide possibilities for fabric choices.





When I asked, Edith shared that this IG post
was her inspiration so  I spent the next hour or so 
with pencil and graph paper to see if I could 
come up with dimensions that worked for me.

But as I pondered whether or not to add this to my 
ever-increasing project list, I kept thinking about
one of Audrey's posts at Quilty Folk
and this phrase in particular: 

"What really interests me right now 
is recreating old utility style quilts."

Honestly, that feeling is what drew me in so quickly
when Sujata announced the U and U quilt along -
I flagged at least a dozen quilts in the book
that I wanted to make using fabrics in my stash.

Another click or two on the Internet led me to this photo
of a one-patch quilt c. 1940 by Magalene Wilson 
who is one of the Gee's Bend quilters.


And another click to see more of her work
led to another of her one-patch quilts
with more red cornerstones . . . .

At which point, I had to get up
and walk away from the computer
before I found any more inspiration.


Once I was safely in the studio
I pulled out my copy of U and U
and flipped through the pages.

And my eyes landed on this one -
yet another fabulous inspiration quilt
which turns out to be one and the same
inspiration quilt Maureen chose - click HERE.

I have plenty of shirting, reproductions, and solids . . . 
but I also have too many other things going right now
to be able to drop everything and start on this idea.

Circumspect - meaning "well considered" 
will simply have to wait until October or November.

Between now and then
I'll be doing a lot of pondering
on which direction I want to go with this.

Stay tuned.


9 comments:

  1. Oh yes, I have about a dozen U & U quilts flagged as well. There are SO many that spark joy.:) Can't wait to see yours come together!

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  2. Thanks for walking us through these inspiring quilts. Such fun to compare and contrast them as your decide how you want to work.

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  3. I laughed out loud when you had to walk away from the computer before you found any more inspiration! I frequently feel EXACTLY the same....my head gets so full and my heart is pounding so hard at all the exciting possibilities with fabric that I begin feeling overwhelmed. Right now, those two quilts you posted by Magdalene Wilson from Gees Bend are making my head spin! I LOVE them and they are now on my inspiration board. I'm so pleased that you were inspired by my first feedsack top and eagerly await your inspired version.

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  4. I laughed at the ‘too much inspiration’ comment as well. There are just endless possibilities...not enough hours! Nice write up/lovely quilt.

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  5. quiltdivajulie......Check out a remake of the second Magalene Wilson quilt you posted....it is by Sujata Shah on Instagram @therootconnection...and it will knock your socks off!

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  6. Wow! Great inspiration! I like them all and want to make something like that!! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  7. My blocks are still on my small design wall, methinks I had better get a move on although I do have a little extra time to make some progress if you're not making a start right at this moment in time. The quilts by Magalene Wilson are tremendous!

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  8. Thanks for the shout-out Julie! I love these types of quilts so much. Always makes me want to go dig out some fabric and try my hand at making my own!!

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  9. Thank you Julie! As you can tell, I am catching up on my reading and this post has inspired me to just pull out some fabrics and start sewing. it has been long months since I have heard the sound of my machine humming. Today might be the day! xo

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