Quiltparison is the Thief of Joy - Finished!

I got the idea for this quilt when I was thinking about how I open my first meeting as the leader for the evening meetings of the East Cobb Quilters’ Guild. I also wanted to start a tradition of opening a meeting with a story about a quilt that’s been meaningful to a member of the guild - one they made, one they received, or one they saw.

I also have a reputation for being “intense” or “intimidating”, particularly with those who don’t know me well enough yet to know that I’m really just an awkward 13 year old who cries at cotton commercials (it’s really IS the fabric of my life!) and laughs at fart jokes, trapped in the body of a 41 year old.  I blame it on the RBF.

This is actually a wholecloth quilt; the colors are from Inktense pencils, and in the middle of doing the blending I immediately thought I’d messed it up and wasn’t as good as a guildmate of mine, thereby proving the whole point of the quilt: comparing myself to someone else wasn’t going to bring me any joy in making this thing.

Technical note: I used an aloe gel to blend and deepen the color from the pencils, rather than the water which will spread the ink to adjoining areas of the quilt.

Also not bringing my shoulders any joy: any time spent after the first 15 minutes of pebbling a double-batted quilt. But ultimately, I love it.

It helped me tell the story I wanted to: that my role in leading the meetings was to facilitate a fun, nurturing environment meant to inspire, not to intimidate.

12 Replies to “Quiltparison is the Thief of Joy - Finished!”

  1. That is pretty darn awesome on several levels. I agree with the sentiment all the way and it really applies to all aspects of our lives. We compare ourselves a lot and it can totally sink our ships if we let it.
    It reminds me of a talk I heard once that was given to women. Here is a little part of it”…And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.”
    Let us celebrate our good efforts and keep the joy!!

    The quilting is beautiful and the coloring technique is very cool. I love to color things. 🙂 Haven’t done fabric yet though, unless you count decorating a tote bag with markers for a family night activity. I drew a quilt block on mine. 🙂
    It

  2. Wowsers, that looks awesome and I totally agree with the sentiment, perhaps next year could be “it doesn’t have to be perfect the first time you try”.

  3. Great idea! I am sure it made an impact not only on the message level but also in terms of technique. I am sure you inspired some to get out of their box. I am sure I will find out the reaction once I stop being a #podcastdeliquent

  4. Great message and fabulous quilt. I have some Inktense pencils but haven’t used them much. Do you know if they permanent on fabric?

  5. What an awesome start to the new quilting year for the evening guild. I probably would have remained a member of said guild if this was the idea that was nurtured. Way to go Pam! Beautiful project across the board. Thank you for reminding us all that any “parison” robs us of own talents and opportunities to grow and shine.

  6. I love everything about this quilt…your intention behind it, the amazing quilting, the use of ink to add color, the message….everything! What a great idea to do and to help the members of your guild feel more comfortable. Nice!

  7. I’m listening to your podcast on this quilt so had to go find it. Beautiful and that goes for both the quilt and the sentiment behind it. Your story really touched me deeply.

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