Finishing Up the Quilt: Beads, Butterflies, Rod Pocket, and Labels

These are the five 10 inch squares of crocheted lace that I found in Mom’s workbasket. They inspired the quilt.

Oh goody!  I have finally finished the construction of my Mom’s memory quilt.  I still have to add the beads, labels, the rod pocket, and a small set of pretty crocheted butterflies Mom made that I plan to add to the back.  I have a few spots where the paint soaked through to the back when I had my brush too wet.  There is no removing it, and I originally thought I would cover it with an additional label that gave a little bio and pictures of Mom.  But then I remembered the colorful crocheted butterflies.  They are just right to add a lot of fun to the back and will completely cover the paint spots.  I know there are some out there who think it is “cheating” to cover problems on the back of a quilt, but I believe that if you address the problem in some creative way it is just another part of making the quilt right. Besides, they are cute and I should add them regardless.  That way, the bio/picture label can still go on, but on the lower left side of the quilt oposite the info label on the lower right side of the quilt.  I will look around and see if there are more of the butterflies to sweep across the back of the quilt, but even if not, it will be a fun solution.

I was going to sew on the beads today…the hand sewing part.  There is also a machine sewing part and a hot fix part.  I have to test the hot fix first.  Chores and disintangling some bead strings took up most of the day and now it is really getting warm in my studio.  I may still get to some bead work, but it is Saturday.  I usually go a little easier on Saturday…a habit I picked up from all my years of my demanding job for the government…do a little more rest and recreation on your days off!  Same now…I still consider this a light or no work day and Sundays the same.

In any event, I think this quilt will be completed this coming week.  Hooray!  Then I have a long list of exciting future projects.  I have spent more than a year on this quilt.  During this time I had my main sewing machine die and I bought a new Bernina 880 plus and spent a while getting to know it.  I love it.  It works magnificently.  I usually make three to four show quilts in a year, but last year there were none, and this is the first one this year.  I will be making smaller quilts for the rest of this show quilt making season.  They will be art quilts and I will hope to sell them.  Selling smaller quilts is a little easier, because people are more likely to have the space on their wall for them.  They aren’t necessarily cheaper, but it depends on the techniques I have to deplow.  But I am also using them for book samples.  That way I will hope to get double duty out of the coming quilts,  and I will not be selling Mom’s memory quilt.  It’s just the right size to fold in half and place on the foot of my bed, or even unfold and use as a topper.  I don’t have a space big enough for hanging it, and even so it is considered a “small wall quilt”.  I guess I just am not cutout to make bed sized quilts.  They aren’t my thing.  Besides, I truly love making pictorial art quilts.

I really have no idea how to categorize this quilt.  It is truly not a traditional quilt, and it is not an art quilt exactly. In any event, I hope my Mom can see it from heaven and likes it.  It’s a tribute to my magnificent talented Mom, Zephana Compton Bivens.

Sew happy everyone!  Stay safe, well, and happy in spite of all the chaos swirling around us.  Take some time off just to goof off, read, take a walk, or sit outside. Cheers.