Art and Soul

I've just had a very interesting chat with a friend, who commented that it is like having pieces of your soul out there when quilts go to shows, and it got me thinking about these quilts, the time I spent on them and what I would do if they didn't turn up.

I was surprised to realise that the technically most important piece in the shipment worries me least. If I had to I could do 'Decadence' again, I'd rather not but I could. Most of my soul is with the smallest of them, 'Blue Moon'. This piece really came from me, I had wanted to do it for a long time but it had never been important enough to get done so a challenge coming up that is fitted perfectly was just amazing. I dropped everything and worked on it solidly until it was finished. That is really rare for me, and I love it. I guess studying astrophysics wasn't so daft after all. I am not sure I would make another copy of this, it feels wrong to even think about it. I might try something similar but in a different scale or something.

Then there is 'My Fat Quarter of Paradise'. I was just making this for the show and when I started I didn't like it much. Boy did it grow on me, I do love it and a friend has made a very similar but smaller version for herself. It's significance though is that is has the care and support of other quilters in it. It nearly didn't get entered as I ran out of thread whilst quilting it so I couldn't send the pictures in. Although I ordered more thread it didn't arrive and I was inundated with offers of thread from other longarm quilters, nominally my competitors. How amazing are quilters? Although I don't have the same fabrics I could do a very similar quilt again, although I probably wouldn't. This was a one off.

'Road to Mondrian' is made with fabrics bought for me by the grandmother of a friend just after she died, yes after. He decided that she would like to support my quilting (she did in life so why not) and bought me the batiks that it is made from. I could repeat this quilt with the same fabrics, but the meaning is in this one.

Finally there is 'Burning Chrome', it isn't even my quilt and I've lost it. I suspect I don't have to explain how I feel about that. I just hope they turn up somewhere at some point. This I can't replace, I guess I could replace the fabric and quilt the replacement, but I it really isn't the same is it.

Hopefully before I go to bed they will have all arrived at the show safe and sound, but it's been interesting realising the value isn't always where you expect it to be.