brought to light

A little corner of the deck that I call the Plant Hospital has been transformed by this rambling rose. I've never seen her look this lovely... it must be something in the dirt (thank you, Fanny!)

Yesterday I had fun unearthing stuff I had around the house that I had forgotten about. First, under the piles of winter blankets (that need to be folded and put away more nicely, yes?) I found this old thing.
Every quilt tells a story. This one's goes like this: Flashback to around 1992. Princess #1 was just a little squirt. We rented a 500 square foot house on 35 acres. There were a lot of fruit trees ... peaches mostly, but also apples, plums, pears, and even kiwi. Our house, though small, boasted a VERY large deck. It was there I created this very bright quilt.
I worked outside on the deck in the sunshine while the baby ran umuck (sp?). I evidently had bags full of scraps from the 60's and 70's (maybe from the flea market?), along with bits and pieces of garments I made or had slashed up at one time. I think there's some men's ties in there too. I worked without a real plan, and certainly without measuring. I probably had a template for the squares. All summer I sewed on this thing because I had entered it in the Santa Cruz County Fair... before I had made it, of course.

Each little square is pieced with at least two pieces. The big squares are eight or more. There are some worn spots too. I forget what is in the middle - it's completely clumped up now, but the fabric is thick enough to still make it warm and soft. The black is polyester blend t - shirt knit I got for 99 cents a yard (I used it for the back too.) 100% NOT organic, but built to last. Instead of quilting it (or tying) I used old buttons in the corners. God I had a lot of buttons!

The interesting thing about how bright this quilt is. It was made at a time when life could be quite NOT bright. Too much partying, some yelling and a lot of bad feelings made times tough. However, on the deck with my baby in the bright sun, nothing but gardens, and all these scraps to play with?

Feeling better yet?!
I finished it in time for the Fair (early September). I got an Honorable Mention and a pretty yellow ribbon. It was so exciting to see it hanging up there in the big hall, with all the other gorgeous therapy. You could feel the love in every entry. I remember the judge's comment, written lightly in pencil on the manila score card: "Very creative use of buttons."

I think this was around the time I met dh also. Many good things were being created then.
Yesterday I pulled out a bunch of stuff I had around and started playing with it. Mind you, ALL of this was acquired in the last year. Whatever it becomes will be a monument to this time. This is the extent of my fabric stash... ukelele for scale. I have put them in piles and I'm planning a quilt. I'll tell you my idea later. Should be fun.
Can you see the quilt in this picture?