Sunday, March 10, 2013

hexy tree

with the fifth project quilting challenge up on Sunday, it was time to stop the quilt-a-long blocks and get down to business. for those of you unfamiliar with project quilting, you can check it out here.

this week's challenge has to do with print publications, and--in a nutshell--we were asked to pick a magazine, commit to it, and then turn to page 28. this was to be the inspiration for this week's quilt. while it was tempting to peek at a bunch of "page 28s" and then pick the best one, this was a no-no.

i just want to take a time-out moment and say that i LOVE this idea for a challenge. also, i will NEVER AGAIN be able to look at page 28 in a magazine without wondering "what if..."

SO FUN!

well, we are never at a shortage for print publications in this house. my husband writes and collects zines, and we are both big readers. well, i guess i should say he is a big reader and i used to be one...until i started quilting. anyway, my top choices for publications were (with links included in case you're not familiar):

a zine

a found magazine

a baker creek seed catalog

vanity fair

thrasher

or this juxtapoz



eventually i decided i would have a better chance at a more interesting picture with the juxtapoz so i was thinking about going with that, when billy (my husband) looked at page 28 on the juxtapoz and said "interesting...good luck with that." of course i had to look, which sealed the deal, and i immediately regretted it.

here was what i found:

oh great. a bunch of effigies in the desert. swell.
i can only imagine this is some type of representation of either refugees or already dead folks from a war-torn region in africa: sad, and attention-worthy, but SO not my cup of tea. usually I try to avoid political discussions when possible.

right about now, i'm thinking, "why did i not pick the baker creek seed catalog?" 

broccolli, kale, cholorabi, beets, melons, whatever!

page 28 of baker creek seed catalog

 
page 28 of quilting arts
page 28 of Doris (a zine out of Asheville)

page 28 of thrasher

page 28 of found
page 28 of a lion brand yarn catalog
page 28 of vanity fair

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

well, once i stopped with the "shoulda coulda woulda's". i decided to get to work. what i do see in the african desert effigy picture is a semi-barren landscape. i also see people wearing some bright colors on their clothes. i also am inspired by the artist's statement about his piece, which goes as follows:

"The battle goes on as the world rapidly races ahead
The casualties litter the fields and gutters
waste, garbage.
I look at these outcasts, bruised and battered from the battle with abandon;
and their innocent bleedings evoke a compassion in me as I pick them, bathe them, give them roof, nurse their wounds; rear them with the emotional touch of a mother...until the new yam festival."

i can definitely relate to the concept of being a nurse/mother combo.

this also reminds me of one of my favorite bukowski poems, "alone with everybody"
you can follow the link if you want to read it. it's pretty depressing though...just a warning.

while i initially wanted to post a nice blog with pictures about how i made the quilt, and the way it evolved throughout the week, it is almost 60 degrees outside and i think i would rather go outside and play than sit behind this computer screen. so without further adieu, here is my latest masterpiece!






basically, i just tried to emulate the shape and colors of the photo without getting too political. i also felt compelled to use hexagons for the first time, which i think turned out pretty well. the materials i used were an old shirt, a couple of curtains, some yarn from the gigantic antique/craft vendor store in my town, and of course some quilting cottons.

i think I'll call it "hexy tree."

YAY!

also, all the project quilting quilts for the week are subject to a public vote. so if you like my quilt (or even if you don't), and it's between the dates of 3/11/13 and 3/15/13 you can go here to VOTE FOR IT!

thanks for reading, I'm headed outdoors with this guy:

bye bye blog!




1 comment:

  1. Love the blog, love the quilt, love the poem (I must be in a brooding mood and didn't realize it), and am totally in love with Rowan. My gosh, that is an awesome picture!!! Little stinker is getting so big. I love his style. How many quilt challenges left??
    -Sarah HB-

    ReplyDelete