art and soul: the magic 13

Monday, December 3, 2012

the magic 13

there's quilt lore concerning a trousseau and 13 quilts; I'm not getting married any time soon, but I just read an article and two books that mentioned the 13 bridal quilts, and now my hands are prickling. The lore in question is that a bride brought 13 quilts with her to her marriage; they were supposed to showcase her skills as a seamstress; this is the lore at it's most basic, of course, as there were supposed to be some indications of the last one being a pièce de résistance of some kind or another, since it was, after all, the last one of 13, she'd better be some kind of wonderful at that point.

I'm not interested in making 11 more quilts for the sake of banging out quilts; I do have the small luxury of not being a woman under time duress; of course, I'm also not above making something completely uncomplicated that still looks completely fabulous.

Ah, I can hear you say, wait a second woman, you said 13, and you're talking about 11. The deal is I would likely count the hexie daisy quilt towards the final number, and I also have this monster here, which has actually been finished for some time now, and I don't have a final picture for, and fits a California King. I need to find somewhere big enough to get a picture... or to hang it... The Daisy isn't big enough for a full size bed, but whatever.

That said, I can't undertake this project until I have a job. And I can pay for this junket. So I'm looking at starting this hopefully by next fall.

So, I have an Ocean Waves, and a Hexie Daisy, that leaves 11 other slots to fill.

A string quilt. Or even if I fussy cut Ikat Streaks into squares to look like string blocks. Or both.
'Round Robin - I realize part of the point is to have someone else do the borders but I don't know anyone whom I could coerce into this task... meh. Also, it's not something I've ever done, and this is an exercise in stretching one's abilities. And it would likely involve appliqué... Update: 12/7/12 What about a Round Robin Baltimore Album? Could there be such a thing? I could combine elements of both in one, right? Right?
... a Jane Austin medallion? I do want one anyway.
The challenge here will be finding the period fabric, as all the repro stuff I have easy access to is civil war [40 years too late, using 1812 as a timestamp] or 1930's [120 years too late]
...Update: 12/7/12 A matchy-matchy quilt; rather one that isn't mostly scraps. Not that there is anything wrong with scraps, but that's my preferred method of quilting. Because I just can't pick one fabric; must have them all. This will be a personal stretch, buying a massive amount of fabric all at once.
...Update: 12/7/12 Something with a decidedly more modern feel. I don't know what this means. Will have to investigate some more; likely my definition means abstract.
...Update: 12/7/12 Something blue; Prussian, China, Kingfisher etc. Because blue would never be my first choice, and I already have a stash of assorted blue Asian prints that are in the same color family that I could live with.
...Update: 12/7/12 A Hawaiian quilt. But I still hate appliqué. Will have to find a way to reconcile this. Hmm...
...Update: 12/7/12 an Irish chain.
...Update: 12/7/12 a wool quilt, from blanket header from the Pendleton Wool Mill. Mmm, toasty. ... I'd better not be relocating south.
...
...

well, that knocks it down from 7. Or 6, depending on how you look at it, to 3 or 2. ~~I think a Baltimore Album would be~~ ~~interesting to attempt,~~ but I still hate appliqué.

Happy Hanukkah, folks, and the beginning of Advent.