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Down Sizing the Future

This is the smallest quilt I've ever made (with a penny to give you scale.) It's a bargello, made from tiny scraps from a much larger quilt that I made five years ago (you might recognize the fabric, Theo.) What I remember most was wrestling with my lack of skill and how hard it was to piece with 1/8" seams. The quilting was also a challenge because every stitch I took looked huge.

While I've been working on my linen quilt I'm still struggling with my execution and quilting limitations, so in a sense size really doesn't matter. I also have a house filled with the quilts I've made over the years. Since I live a stone's throw away from the tropics we don't need even the quilts I've already made. And, of course, my arthritis is only growing worse, particularly in my hands.

Subconsciously I've been working toward smaller projects, I think, for all those reasons. This may have to be the last year that I make a traditional quilt for myself or art's sake. From now on I might limit myself to gift-only quilts and scale down my art projects. That doesn't make me sad for some reason, maybe because I'm more about art quilting these days. Art can be any size.

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nightsmusic said…
I did recognize it! Immediately. That's adorable! I'm trying to finish the crib quilt for Thing 2's first, but my hands don't want to work so it's very slow going. I'm wondering why I decided to do this. I'm dropping the needle more than I'm able to hang onto it. My fingers seem to have developed a mind of their own. I have to finish this one and have one to make for Thing 1 for a Christmas gift and I'm not sure I'll pick up a needle after that. I might just piece and have it machine quilted once I'm done with that. It does make me a little sad, but things change.
June 23, 2022 at 5:24 AM
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