Waste Not, Want Not

I've been quilting and creating sewn objects for quite a while. Before I delved into quilting, the intricate designs of these beauties intimidated me. Some of the more complex patterns can still feel that way but now I know I can figure out just about any pattern given enough time. And if I can't, I belong to a guild full of women who are always willing to share their experience.

Anyhow, this quilt top is the first one I ever made. You'll notice it's just a top, not a full quilt even after all these years. Why? I don't like the blocks.

It took some quilting experience before I figured out why but now I know it's the fabric choices. They are too much alike—they're from my floral period, an initial stage that most quilters outgrow—and the size of the prints is the same.

The result, to my eye, is boring. Yeah the fabrics do a visual blend thing that's OK, I guess, but putting four of them together in the same quilt really makes me yawn.

Which brings me around to the "Waste Not, Want Not" section of this post. Back in early July, I made a small quilt (often referred to as a lap quilt) of log cabin blocks in pinks and purples for my Mom. Up until then, I never understood why anyone made lap quilts. They're too small for a bed and don't cover much when you lay down.

But then I watched what Mom did with hers. By July, she was quite weak, not rising from her bed at all. A large quilt would have been impossible for her to manipulate. But that lap quilt was just right. It lay lightly across her shoulders or over her legs. She could and did pull it up to her face, cuddling it as a child cuddles a banky. It kept her warm without weight when any sort of touch became more than she could bear.

She used that small quilt to the day she died. In fact, it's buried with her.

When I got home and started grounding myself, I spent time going through my UFO pile (that's Unfinished Objects for the uninitiated), making decisions about projects, reminding myself of where I left off before I went to the Cape. I realized I had a number of unfinished pieces that could be done up into lap quilts, including this one.

So tonight, my husband—he who will unsew for me while watching TV—will take this apart so that I can make four lap quilts to donate to a nursing home.

Waste not, want not.