Friday, March 3, 2017

Hen Party Finish

Done!

Hen Party, 60" x 60" (153 x 153 cm)

Started around this time in 2012, finished today. Five years! And really, three years of collecting chicken fabrics before I started sewing. It is a big, big relief to have this one done and dusted. To see all the posts on this quilt, please click here.


Does your family support you as a quilter? Mine really does not. I know another quilter at my guild who says that her family "are not quilt people," which I suspect is a touch of the Canadian gift for understatement. It is soul sucking to make a gift quilt when the response ranges from disinterest to active discouragement. And I know a lot of quilters, and stitchers and embroiderers, and probably knitters and crocheters too, have that same experience. We have to stop doing it! Older, wiser women warned me of this situation years ago. But, I always seem to learn things the hard way.


Today, though, I feel amazing! This is the last family quilt, the last quilt I "owe." From here on, it is my quilts, my way. I can see very clearly now that it has been bad for me creatively to try to second guess someone else's taste. Especially when it is a losing battle, and they don't really understand quilts in the first place.

And the truly ironic thing is that this quilt has ended up being my taste anyway, and it took me five years to justify doing it the way I wanted to do it. How crazy is that? But, now I know, and I don't think I'll forget again.


Somehow I miscalculated the width of the binding, and I thought I was going to have to hand sew it. But when I looked at it again today, I was able to trim the seam allowance, finagle the corners a little, and machine sew it from the front, same as the Mod Pillows. Whew! Now I am wondering if I can do the same with Cardinal Stars. I'll look at that tomorrow.

But right now...



20 comments:

  1. so good to see this completed some lovely chicken fabric in this quilt.
    Yes I so agree family are not interested though occassionally Helen will say she likes a quilt I have made and then I am happy to give it to her but my favourite quilt I made she said she would put in the bin! Catherine is a little interested but how lovely it would be to have someone share my love of stitching. Helen is more than happy to have me make baby quilts though for friends, never mind I enjoy what I am doing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's lovely Monica, I'm so lucky that my family love and appreciate the quilts I make for them...I do try to do in their colours tho...
    Time to make quilts for you,...do it your way for you !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just this week my daughter told her that her boyfriend wants me to make "a quilt with roosters", and now I find you have done just that! I like it a lot. I am lucky with my family, but have decided that I am going to make what I want to make and whoever admires it first can have it (even if that's the postman).

    ReplyDelete
  4. I make quilts my way and if the recipient likes it then fine and if not...it was my gift to them and I accept returns (with no money back). Haven't had any returns yet!

    LOVE Hen Party! I have a lot of chicken fabrics but don't think I have any of yours. Didn't realize there were so many hen fabrics. What fun. Congrats on your finish.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have a very small family so I don't give out many quilts, but my kids have each requested a quilt now that they are grown and on their own and I am sure they will appreciate baby quilts and blankets when they come. Although I am the only crafter in my family, they all like what I make. Hen Party is great and I look forward to seeing the quilts that you make for your own enjoyment.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your Hen Party quilt is so fun--love it! A friend recently told me about someone she knew who had made a quilt for a daughter-in-law as a gift. A couple years later she was helping her DIL with a garage sale and spotted the quilt priced at 50 cents, so she bought it back! Years ago, a quilt I gifted to my mother mysteriously disappeared--I'm not quite sure what happened there, but now I don't make quilts for members of my family unless they ask me for one--then I'm happy for a reason to use up some of my stash.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is so cute, especially with your fussy cut chickens. My family appreciates the quilts, but they never take very good care of them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A great finish, Monica.i can't really answer the question, since I'm not a quilter. It has always seemed to me that gifts need to fit the person and that means you can't make everyone a hat, or a tablecloth or a quilt- even if they are different . I agree that in the end we need to satisfy our own drive and aesthetic - maybe others will like it, maybe not but we need to create to our song.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jillian! Yes, I think my hope was that the "right" quilt would make them see how excellent quilts are. So that is a lot of pressure to put on one quilt! And yes, the truly "right" thing is to let them be them, and me be me.

      Delete
  9. Your "Hen Party" is full of fun and good times, as well as having been made with excellent craftsmanship. Anyone who doesn't recognize the value in that would not be invited to my next hen party. It says more about the recipient than it says about the gift.

    Most of the many quilts I have gifted over the years have been warmly received and appreciated over the years. A few, however, have been received with disregard and even a touch of ridicule. Disappointment and anger occur naturally, but then I try to remind myself of my intentions, (which are usually well meaning), and try to let it go. But needless to say, there won't be any more quilts heading that way! (Maybe not even Christmas cards?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! As I was saying to Jillian, it is as much, or even more, my fault than theirs. I was trying to change their mind, when I should just have respected their point of view. It didn't occur to me that I was actually harming myself by ignoring my own inner muse. But, the silver lining is that I won't forget again!

      Delete
  10. Hen Party is such a delightful quilt! I hope who ever receives will appreciate it. As far as family support, my husband is my biggest supporter. My children appreciate my quilting too and a few of my grandchildren, but not all. I don't think anyone really understands the passion I have for quilting though. I think that is why I enjoy connecting with other bloggers, they understand that part.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You finished! Hooray!!! I loved your "Freedom" music video. Kudos for you to complete your giving commitment. Non quilters really have no idea what it takes to get a quilt from a photo to a useable item. I use to use the analogy of giving birth until I got so many eye rolls that I kept my mouth closed. People generally get the idea that it takes about nine months and not just a weekend! Your creative mojo is about to go wild so look out. . .you may have more projects soon! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Terry! It is a pretty catchy song, isn't it? I agree, it feels so good to meet that commitment, even if it took a crazy long time!

      I'm still keen on all my current projects, but you know, spring is coming, so we'll see what may sprout up next. :D

      Delete
  12. There are family members who will never receive a quilt from me. They don't appreciate handmade items of any sort. Fortunately my husband and kids want many of them.
    I think you will enjoy this new phase of making quilts to please yourself alone. Just following your own aesthetic. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a cute finish with your Hen Party quilt. It's been interesting to read the comments about quilt appreciation and family support. My family members are great supporters and know the work, $, and time each quilt represents. To be honest I really make quilts for family members beyond the inner circle. I do make a few charity quilts each year and, without real proof, I suspect many of those are not really appreciated or the value realized on these items. I guess I have to think of them as gifts from the heart and let them go.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Cluck, cluck and cock-a-doodle-doo! Love this quilt. So fun. About gifting quilts - I only make baby quilts and charity quilts to give away. I was making quilts for high school graduation for nieces and nephews but have stopped after I got wind after the last one that it wasn't to the taste of the recipient. I made it in her school colors and extra long to fit her dorm bed. But that's okay because now I,like you, have been freed from this particular chore.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I think a lot of us are in your boat. I'm lucky to have lots of quilting friends and although my family is supportive of my quilting, I think they feel I carry my obsession a bit too far sometimes. I adore your chicken quilt. And, I am so happy for you that the pressure is off and you can now just quilt for YOU!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a fun looking quilt. I do have a lot of support from my family and honestly they'd probably take almost anything I care to give them. However, I have had some bad experiences in the past {one quilt with lots of handwork ending up being used as the dogs bed then eventually thrown away} and now I refuse to make a quilt FOR someone, rather I always make them for myself. Then, if I feel the urge, I gift them after they are done. The only exception being baby quilts. I'll make them with a special baby/mom in mind! It really is creatively deadening to try to make for specific people/likes/dislikes etc. They almost always want matchy, matchy safe looking quilts like Thimbleberries etc. Ugghh... I can't handle it. The other thing I've learned is to be careful who I give labor intensive quilts to. If I think they will be lukewarm about receiving a quilt or possibly careless in their appreciation, then I will only give them {If I still feel the need to gift a quilt} something like a rag quilt, or something very, very simple and absolutely no hand quilting!

    ReplyDelete
  17. The quilt is fantastic! And so is this blog post... I loved reading it and can really relate!
    Also loved the song... think I'll go play it again!

    ReplyDelete

I'm told Blogger has been bouncing some comments, so if it happens to you I'm sorry! But the settings look right so I can't explain it. In any case, thanks for reading!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...