Mariner's Compass for Janet

There's a great satisfaction in the completion of a project. I'm especially pleased with this wall hanging for a couple of reasons.

First, the Mariner's Compass design is one I have admired for years and never thought I could tackle. I finally did attempt my first paper-pieced compass a few years ago, and it was very hard. It's part of the quilt that hangs in my studio and is on the opening page of my blog. Now that I understand paper-piecing better and have done paper-pieced projects a few more times, this compass - by no means easy - was definitely easier to do.

Second, I love this color combination of teal, lime, and navy. These Jinny Beyer RJR fabrics are beautiful. There's a luminescence as well as movement. One of the border fabrics has a subtle design incorporating these colors. The center medallion is made from eight fussy-cut pieces from this border fabric. The fabric I love the most is used the least. It's the purple fabric with a peacock design on it and appears in each of the four corners. Click on the picture to see the details of these fabrics.

Third, as I was working on this piece, I knew where it was going to live. Janet, my body work specialist whom I've been seeing for ten years, turned 60 shortly after I did. She celebrated my birthday with a three-month clinical study of my issues. I celebrated hers with a dinner at Saffron, my favorite Indian restaurant and with this wall hanging.

A compass gives direction and guidance, very symbolic of the work that Janet does with many people. I've made a quilt for Janet's therapy room and written about the importance of her work before. She is a necessity in my life.

The Decorative Touch

I see Janet Sylkatis (jancmt@aol.com) once every three weeks to work on various body issues. Jan is a massage therapist who specializes in Ortho-bionomy. Several foot and knee surgeries plus a lifetime of inactivity have led me to Janet. By working with her I have developed a fairly normal walking gait and a sense of physical awareness formerly lacking. Some of my issues are occupational ones. Despite paying great attention to the ergonomics of my quilting, spending six to eight hours a day at a sewing machine creates certain issues. And Janet helps me work through each one.

Janet just moved into a new office in Hinsdale. It's quiet and airy and like being in a tree house. I needed to do one more demo piece for my Lawndale Log Cabin workshop and choose this palette of greens and whites with Janet's new office in mind. Shortly before I offered this piece to Janet, friends of hers had told her that all her office needed for completion was a quilted wall hanging. Great minds DO think alike! Click on the quilt to see some of the quilting in gold thread. This wall hanging is my contribution to the sense of peace within the office and within me.