Piano Keys From Gee's Bend

I literally could not help myself. I have so much to do this time of year - and many sewing projects on the go - but after seeing the beautiful quilts that came out of Gee's Bend, Alabama, I had to put together an improv quilt top.

I am calling this quilt "Piano Keys"

I didn't use a ruler, or my rotary cutter and mat, just some mid-sized fabric scissors. I didn't measure anything! IT WAS AWESOME! I was commenting about this to someone else and she told me that after she saw the quilts from Gee's Bend, she made 28 improv quilts!!!

I might never follow a pattern again!!

This quilt was made from 100% wool pants, shirts, and sweaters. I kept the buttons on one piece from a plaid shirt that I cut up for the quilt, as a reminder that the patches in this blanket are all repurposed materials.

This quilt top is going to get a border and will then be hand quilted in an imitation of the quilts from the Gee's Bend book. Generally I'm not a huge fan of monochromatic color schemes but this quilt was really fun to make, and I'm going to give it to my son's dad, who isn't a bright colors kind of a guy anyway.

I even let the dog lie on it. This is usually blasphemy.

Stewie is kind of color-coordinated, don't you think?

In other homesteading news, I managed to throw some seeds into the ground this week and I can only hope that they germinate and grow. Carrots and parsnips and a big beet patch are all in my hopes for the garden this year.

Chicken Tractor

The bantam chickens are still super tiny. We were worried about them getting eaten by a larger prey bird after we lost a bigger chicken to the ravens. So now they have their own little coop with a run attached. Over time the chickens will scratch up all of the grass and the dirt will be fertilized by their poo and food scraps. 

This is a win-win for the birds and for us as it creates a fertile garden bed and the chicks have a place to peck and scratch.

Yesterday I visited a friend in the community who just had twin babies, a boy and a girl. They were like fuzzy little peanuts, and because they are twins they seemed sooo tiny. The baby boy was about 5lbs, like a sweet little doll. It gave me an idea for a large baby quilt that is half blue and half pink. I don't think I have enough fabric in my stash but I might have to come up with something so that I can do a photo shoot with those little babies. So precious and a very fitting experience for this Easter weekend as we celebrate fertility and birth!

Happy Spring!

The Quilts of Gee's Bend

I stopped by my friend's house today to pick up a dozen eggs, and she handed me this book.

I'm sure a lot of you quilters out there are already familiar with this collection but I had never seen it before, and I was so blown away I have to recommend this to all artists and quilters everywhere.

The book is about the women quilters of Gee's Bend, a small, black community in Alabama that produced hundreds of stunningly beautiful quilts. They are incredible works of art, abstract and made with pure creativity and recycled materials.

One quilt that really stuck with me is one that a woman made from her husband's work clothes after he died. They quoted the woman who said that she wanted the quilt made from his clothing to "cover up under for love". The quilt was made with practically every stitch of his clothing, stains and all. It was completely un-square. Probably the most beautiful quilt I have ever seen.

It felt good to flip through this book after my little rant about recycling. I don't want to get too political or anything, I know that sweatshops are a touchy subject and it can be really uncomfortable to think about where a lot of the fabric we wear and use comes from. 

These women said it all with their quilts. Made with love and made to BE loved, made used and made to be used. 

Truly touching.