It wasn't until I was making up the label that it smacked me over the head. The quilt has been the bain of my existence for a while and I think it's like that fussy child that nothing is ever right until it finally is.
It seems appropriate that it's going to my Jessi. Among my girls she is strong willed and tough to budge. When she makes up her mind, you better just throw in the towel and roll with it.
Never one to be quiet, she was the one that really sneaked up on me. I don't think I ever shared this with her but the first time she came to my house I thought for sure I would not be able to deal with her. She was a chatterbox and opinionated and had waaaayyy to much energy. She really hasn't changed much but there is so much more to her. Underneath it all she is also a romantic. An artist. A poet. She is loyal and proud and has a love for life that I have seldom seen in a person.
I really was not sure if this was her quilt. I loved the pattern since I saw it but I could not see it going to her. I think it was the white, too stark, too one dimensional. But as I was looking at fabrics in Houston, those batiks where flagging me down and yelling at me to use them for Jessi's quilt, for THIS quilt.
As I worked on this piece it kept reaffirming itself. As I cut the batiks I thought of her. Each piece is so unique, even fabric from the same bolt stands no repetition. Each piece has it's own depth, it's own design. It was just so appropriate. The white gave it the balance it needed and the quilting just brought it to life!
Wondering what is that something in the corner of the quilting...
I asked Margaret to make this one uniquely Jess.
The VW is in homage to Jessi's pride and joy.
Yup. Jess loves her car to near obsession,
so it seemed appropriate that the logo be included in the quilt that is just for her.
Take a peek at the backing. This was the crux of my existence. After two failed attempts in getting a fabric that 'played' well with the darker batiks, I gave up and just went with the jewel batik flannel. I am telling you! This quilt would not fit into a standard formula. It was going to do what it wanted to do and you could either accept it or lose sleep over it. I just went with it.
No Name is now called Little Bits of Love
625 little bits of my heart sent to my Jessi Girl.
Happy Birthday, sweetheart!