Surprise No. 1: For Cristina and Joe

 

You know how you want to do something so special for someone and sometimes get a bit paralyzed in getting started?  I knew Cristina and Joe were getting married at some point, and I knew I wanted to make them a "I'm thrilled you found your life partner" quilt.  And then paralysis set in.  What helped me to break through was this fabulous assortment of peppered shot cottons.

I wanted to do something featuring equally all the colors - so saturated and so bright,  I even went to one of Cristina's favorite artists, Robert Motherwell , for inspiration.  I eventually concluded that if I wanted to give her a quilt in this lifetime, that perhaps I needed to stay within my comfort zone.  So I reverted to some basic 9-patches which then I could perk up with some circular hand quilting.  

I started with an off-center spiral on October 5.  Eventualy I added a second needle and then a third.

As I began making the 9-patches and adding them to the design wall, I knew immediately this horizontal design wouldn't work.  It was fun to play around with arrangements, and I'm happy with the one I settled on. 

Its difficult to explain how much I love hand-quilting.  For so many years I palmed my hand-work off to my mother.  Guildmate Mirielle very slowly modeled the importance of handwork.  And as my parents were dying, I finally got it.  Yesterday I put in the last stitches and made a label.  As much as I love Cristina, I'm pretty crazy about Joe, too.  For a while I wasn't sure if he was good enough for her.  But he is for sure.  One night out with them as judges for a local Moth story-telling competition convinced me of that.  

I've known Cristina for almost 20 years. Despite the 41 year age difference,  we truly are friends.  There's a mutual love and recognition of how lucky we are to have this friendship.  

There have been several projects in the past year that I have been working on but haven't been able to share.  I'm thrilled that this quilt is in Cristina and Joe's hands and want to think it will keep them warm starting with their first year of marriage.  And of course I'm eager to reveal other surprises.  Soon...

Mentoring

Cristina has been sewing with me for over 10 years - she made her first quilt when she was in 7th grade.  She's been in the studio all week, working on a h.s. graduation quilt for her boyfriend's sister.  This quilt imitates the feel of one spotted in a catalog, sort of a Moroccan Tile-inspired quilt.  Cris has a degree in fine arts from the U of Iowa.  So to watch her process has been very interesting - and so different from the way I work.  I was gone all day last Thursday.  When I came home, this finished top was on the design floor. 

While Cristina's been working on her project, I have quietly been  working my way through placemats for my house.  I'm thrilled to have these underway - they have been in the planning stage for far too long.

This simple purse is a free pattern from Sara Lawson at Sew Sweetness - it's her Arabesque bag.  It's simple in that there is a zipper at the top and two interior pockets.  A perfect little tote.  I put my phone on it just to give an indication of the size. 

And I picked up this sports jersey quilt from T and F Quilting - all it needs is binding and it will be ready for its June deadline.  

For My Neighbor Cristina, thanks to Ebony

When I first met Cristina, she was a 7th grader who loved to touch fabrics.  She was a sponge who happily absorbed anything I showed her about quilting and sewing.  During her high school years she made several quilts in my studio.  One summer I asked her to do this Fence Rail and model this pattern and sew it as grand daughter Nikki made her own Fench Rail.  Cris found these fabrics in my stash and went to town.  And then life intervened, and this quilt was never finished. 

I thought I would finish it for Christmas 2010 and give it to Cris.  But then Ebony Love bought a long-arm quilt machine and wanted quilts to practice on.  Am I the lucky one or what?  Ebony just returned this quilt to me yesterday, and I am stunned at the density and fluidity of her quilting.  This quilt is beautiful, and her curvy quilting lines are a fabulous juxtaposition to the straight lines of this Fence Rail pattern. And Ebony's choice of thread color - perfect.

A word about Cristina's outer border.  I didn't like it when Cris chose it.  And I still remember Cristina tell me it was something unexpected and that you sometimes just have to take risks.  In hinsight?  She was right. 

I think I wanted a brighter gold color for the binding.  However, this yellow batik with the dots coordinates nicely with the border.  Click on this picture to see the details of Ebony's quilting.

Cristina is a sophomore at the University of Iowa and will be home for Spring Break in a few weeks.  I can't wait to return this quilt to her!

Quilt Studio Graduation

Cristina finished her quilt today - this was one she began last summer. Today we figured out why it took almost a year to complete: she didn't need it. Now, as she heads to the University of Iowa, she actually needs it! I love this Amish "Sunshine and Shadow" design, also called "Trip Around the World." Cris's choice of fabrics are impeccable - this quilt has movement and is light and airy. Click on the picture to see the fabrics.

Check out my June 22, 2007 blog entry - it details the history of our friendship. I'm sure I'll always be in touch with her, but I think we both realized today that the completion of this quilt marks a definite end to a nice period in our lives. She will be formally studying art and will be a force to be reckoned with!

Purse 10 - for Cristina

My two favorite teenagers - grandson Ryan Patrick Sheehan and neighbor Cristina Muzzio - are having graduation parties tomorrow. Ryan graduated from 8th grade earlier this week, and Cris graduates on Sunday. Ryan gets money and a tin of gulab jamuns, his favorite Indian dessert. Cristina gets money in a fabulous gift container: Purse 10! Notice that this purse has feet! Both of these fabrics are ones that Cristina has used in various quilts she's made with me over the year. Ryan will go to LT and Cristina is off to the University of Iowa. Both will do very well in their new adventures!

Trips Around the World

The first quilt pattern I ever did was Eleanor Burns's Trip Around the World. I love that design and made over 40 of them in my early years of quilting. Neighbor Cristina wants to teach her friend Catya to quilt, and I suggested that they both do a "Trip Around the World." Although Cris has made several quilts, she's never done this pattern. Cris and Catya chose their 6 fabrics, ranging from light to dark. This design is a variation of the Amish Sunshine and Shadow pattern.

Look at the web site Gallery for an album of quilts featuring this design. The fabric choices of Cristina and Catya inspired me, and I am going to do a "Trip" along with them. So is Chris H. Here are our fabrics. First, Cristina's, then Catya's, then mine, and then Chris H's.

Cristina - in the old and the new studio

I have a 16 year-old friend. Just as I have difficulty telling my peers about my friend Cristina, she has an equally hard time telling her peers about her 57 year-old friend. Cristina is my neighbor, and she has spent more time in my studio than anyone else. She began making quilts with me when she was in junior high. The quilt she just finished today is her fifth (or sixth) one. Last year she made a quilt for her grandmother in Uruguay. Today she finished a quilt for her aunt in Barcelona which Cristina herself is going to deliver next week. While in Barcelona Cris will have an opportunity to study at an art school. I can't wait to see what she'll be learning!

I'm impressed with Cristina because she has such an interesting eye for design and color. Because of her I have become more adventurous in some of my fabric combinations. When I am stuck for a border or need some input, she's the first one I'll ask. Just recently she introduced me to HTML code as well as some interesting music groups (Coldplay, The Shins, The Cranberries, and Postal Service). My latest reversible quilt uses the same fabrics from her Barcelona quilt. Yes, I copied from her.

My new studio was completed in late December, 2006. My old studio was dismantled in August, 2006. From August until December I was able to work out of a temporary studio at Cristina's parents' home. Although Ana and Miguel were more than gracious about this arrangement, it was Cristina who initiated the idea, both to me and her parents. I was reluctant and thought I could work out of the first floor of our home. John knew that I couldn't and told me from the very first to accept Cristina's suggestion. And so I did, at Ana's urging. In retrospect, I don't know what I would have done without the temporary studio down the block.

At this same time Cristina received her driver's permit and was taking Driver Education. Getting her 50 hours of behind-the-wheel time was difficult. That's when my Quiltmobile and I stepped in. During this past winter we accumulated driving hours after school and on weekends. Our time often included a precious stop at Starbuck's. I am proud to say that Cristina now knows all the local Starbucks, including the drive-thru one in Lyons! But I'm even happier to report that Cristina earned her driver's license this spring and now tools around happily and independently.

We are lucky that our friendship has been beneficial for both of us.

So my friend Cristina is off to Barcelona for the summer. I'm excited for her and can't wait to begin hearing tales of how she is doing and what she is doing.