Catching Up

It's been one of those busy, busy times. Just a lot going on with church functions, family and friends and little time to catch up on social media. I'm ready to burrow down in the quilting room for a good long while, soon as I can catch up on some sleep! Meanwhile, it's mostly been about the hand work around here of late. Finally got the center applique done on all these Melon Patch blocks.

Start of the Melon Patch blocks

 A reader sent me a lovely comment the other day and told me about a quilt she had noticed in a old book, 'It has your name written all over it. It could have just come out of your hoop.'  Well, little did she know that I actually tried to make an interpretation of that very same quilt several years ago!

Such a lovely old quilt

No pattern, just a fun, intriguing challenge for myself. It took a good long while as these sorts of quilts do, but this particular interpretation was finished in 2013. The picture {torn out of a magazine}, hung on my wall for years before compelling me to just dive in and see if I could really make one of my own.

My Vintage Reproduction quilt

And wowsers, do I love that quilt! Never given it away. There's just something about a re-make of an old quilt that can make it feel really special. The process of trying to keep the spirit of the older quilt and yet breathe a little bit of our own voice into it can be deeply engaging. Have you seen my latest antique interpretation attempt? This is definitely not the first time I've fallen down this particular rabbit hole...

Later on I even went digging for the template of that self-same bird, changed up the size a bit and added it into this Flocks of Geese quilt finished in 2017. So charming to see how the bird takes center stage in this particular setting!

Flock of Geese quilt

I think the more current make is probably what her subconscious was recognizing and connecting to in the old quilt--those birds! Most of my current readers haven't been following along since 2013 or even before. Either way, it was a fascinating day or two of us messaging back and forth. Oh yes! That quilt! Uh huh. Yep, Funny thing about that one....  Big smiles here and maybe with her too. It's good to find connections. And too, I adore having people recognize something distinguishing and unique in regards to my quilting. Something ephemeral that says 'Audrey made that'. It tells me that slowly, slowly, I'm finding a clear voice and perhaps even a distinct style. That means the world to me.