Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Stupid Fish Quilt

Rejoice, world, The Stupid Fish Quilt is finished!


This is quite a milestone for me, because it's the first quilt I've finished since my diagnosis/drugging took away my ability to design and sew nearly five years ago.

It's also the first quilt I've ever made completely by machine. Most of my stuff up until now has been done in combination, usually machine-piecing and hand-quilting, with a lot of hand applique.

It is also the first "challenge" quilt I've ever attempted. I joined our local quilters guild last year, and in October, they issued a challenge: Make a quilt using this fabric:













Ouch. Makes your eyes bleed, doesn't it?

The rules were simple: the quilt could be any size, and the challenge fabric had to show up in the quilt somewhere. The fabric was distributed, and I quickly stuffed mine in my bag so I wouldn't have to look at it. For the rest of the evening, I was in a state of shock. How was I, a fairly traditional quilter up until recently, going to use this hideous fabric in a quilt that I would like enough to actually want to work on?

After much agonizing, I decided that it had to be either fish or ladybugs. I figured it didn't matter too much which. The point, I told myself, wasn't to make something I would love, it was more to get me back into practice after my long hiatus, and encourage me to learn all the features of the new sewing machine the Chief got for me for xmas last year. And when it was done, I could maybe give it to a certain in-law, who deserves something ugly and tasteless in return for all the dreadful knick-knacks she has bestowed upon me over the years.

Anyway, it's done now. After I've taken it to the next guild meeting to show off, it's going up in Hell's Barrister's room. He decided that he likes it a lot, and would like to have it on his wall. Who am I to argue?

But if he asks for a matching bed quilt, he's on his own!

14 comments:

Monica Cassani said...

I think it's beautiful and it was very creative to come up with the fish!!

congrats on being back...

Mark Krusen said...

Ugly and tasteless maybe. Bedspread material? Not so much.

Jazz said...

Gianna--
Thanks! I'm working on one now that's much more amorphous and abstract, full of color and light. I'll post a photo when I've got the piecing done.

It feels good to have come back to this after a long absence. I had forgotten how satisfying it is to finish something...

Quilts are more easily appreciated by my family than my writing...it takes a big time committment to read a novel. Not so long to look at a quilt!

Jazz said...

Mark--
I should probably add that my son has no color sense...his wardrobe, like my husband's, is monochrome. That way he can't make any mistakes!

Jazz said...

Oh, and I think I should get bonus points for figuring out how to post photos all by myself, yeah?

Monica Cassani said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Monica Cassani said...

the photos are awesome...I took note!!

Annie said...

Jazz- I respect your work and hanging in there long enough to create a one of a kind. I can not seem to move away from writing but it would be keen to know how to do quilts. This work seems important! Annie

Jazz said...

Thank-you, Annie.
I also have had a hard time moving away from writing...but I think quilting appeals to my needs to "do something with my hands," and to "make stuff."

Coco said...

Hi Jazz, I could have sworn I commented on this post, but I don't see it now. And I notice that you deleted a post. Was that mine? Did I say something to offend you? Sorry if I'm mistaken, I'm feeling a bit paranoid right now.

Monica Cassani said...

dear coco,
just in case it takes a while for jazz to get back to you...MY comment was deleted because I DID say something stupid...

don't worry! you're cool as far as I know...

Jazz said...

Yes, everybody's cool...
Coco, I didn't ever see your comment, but I know that several other Blogger blogs have been having problems with comments not showing up. I will check and see if there is some tech problem going on...

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! Craftiness eludes me, so I'm very impressed.

Jazz said...

Why, thank-you.
My frugal mother hammered craftiness into me at an early age. My parents were raised in England during WW2, so I got a lot of, "Well, we can't afford to buy that. If you want something like that, you're going to have to make it yourself." So I guess she should get some of the credit!