This quilt was made for a very cool and interesting guy. He worked as a
custodian, and you never saw him without his bottle of Windex and a
cloth. He traveled from office to office, dispensing his particular
brand of wisdom. I decided to make actual windows. They're pieces of
clear vinyl, sewed to each block. Those who worked in his favorite
offices signed their own blocks. At the block intersections are glued
tiny tools of his trade - a sponge, a bucket, a cleaning cloth. Take a
look! The back of the quilt features a small pair of purple pajama
pants: he was known to wear them to work on occasion. As one friend
said at his retirement reception, there was something about him, and it wasn't the pajama pants. We still miss him and when he visits word travels fast.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
TWO GUYS, TWO QUILTS
Here are two long-time instructors holding up their retirement quilts.
One taught Art, one taught English. The art quilt was a collaborative
effort. I created small framed blocks and asked his colleagues to
create little masterpieces. Two of his long-time students were senior
citizen sisters that I hadn't seen in a while. One day I ran into one
of the sisters by accident, asked if she and her sister were interested
in creating artworks for the quilt. She was, but didn't know if she
could return them by the deadline. I said that if they didn't get them
back, I would just create a smaller quilt to accompany this one. The
two blocks came back in plenty of time and the masterpiece quilt was the
result. The English teacher wore very interesting ties; he was also a
very interesting person and one of the college's first students. I
thought of a shirt, a crazy tie, and glasses for his quilt. I tried to
draft a pattern for a shirt, but found it MUCH easier to press a shirt,
fold it, and applique it on to the quilt. At the reception, there was a
stack of notes that friends could write and stuff into the shirt
pocket. Do you think these two liked their quilts? Pictures don't lie.
KIMONO QUILT
This art instructor was an expert on the kimono - I felt this was the
only theme for her quilt. I went through my huge stash of ties and
chose these. This quilt was a lot of fun and not too difficult to
complete. The morning of her reception, I still didn't know how the
quilt was going to be displayed. There wasn't enough time the night
before to go to the hardware store and buy a dowel rod, so out came the
pruners and no bush in the yard was safe. I came up with the perfect
long branch that had flowers blooming on it. Proud moment - I actually
took an art instructor's breath away. What a great compliment! The
white silk circle on the back was for her to paint a Japanese character.
LUCK O'THE IRISH
This all started because I needed a pin to wear on my jacket on St.
Patrick's Day. I started making little green hearts and ended up making
this quilt for the most Irish friend I know! I think she liked it...
GOLF, GOLF, AND MORE GOLF
This quilt was made for one of the most avid golfers I know. I picked
the eighteen offices he had the most contact with, created a golf hole
for each office, and they signed below the flag. Knowing next to
nothing about golf, I consulted another golf fiend to find out how to do
the flags and the holes. I think it turned out pretty well! He wrote
the nicest thank you note, saying he never knew how much work went into a
quilt until he got one.
HALLOWEEN DOORS
Every year back in the good old days, we'd hold a door decorating
contest. There were prizes, but the most fun was actually doing the
decorating. The recipient of this quilt organized the decorating in her
area for many years. When she retired, this was the only concept I
would consider. I made fifteen blocks and gave them to her friends.
They each created their own door. The last door at the bottom right
opened up with a message for her. This was the quilt that taught me a
valuable lesson - when others do the work for you, your job is easier.
Her dearest friend actually hooked up a small battery pack so her door
lit up! This was one of my favorites ever, even though it was horrific
sewing the vinyl windows. A lot of angry words were hollered at the
sewing machine when this one was constructed.
THE EASIEST QUILT IN THE WORLD
This quilt was made for a friend who's a very talented photographer. It
is made of clear vinyl, stitched down in standard photo sizes so that
she can design her own quilt, over and over again. She can choose what
photos she wants, whenever she wants. The border is a clock fabric that
symbolizes the time she'll have in retirement to take photos whenever
she wants.
A FISH STORY
He taught tech ed, she worked in registration. They loved to go fishing
and that was the perfect theme for this couple's quilt. I found a
batik that captured his gray hair very well, and put him in his standard
plaid shirt. The marbled fabric really matched her blonde hair and she
loved her polka-dot t-shirt. After this photo was taken, I added
fishing rods made from twigs from the yard, and each had a string line
with a tiny cloth fish attached. He vowed he would not shed a tear when
leaving his job, and he didn't - until he saw this quilt. And that is
the reason I create these quilts: to let friends know how much they
mean! Isn't there someone you know that needs a quilt?
SHOE QUILT
Thanks to Nellie Durand for letting me use her concept - this quilt was
second prize at a fundraising event! The shoes on top of the boxes
represent the shoes a woman would wear throughout her life, baby shoes
to comfortable shoes. WHAT FUN IT WAS TO MAKE!
For a Talented Baker
This quilt was created for a wonderful person who was known for baking
the most beautiful and delicious cheesecakes. She was delighted with
it.
Hail and Farewell
This quilt was made for a friend whose knowledge was boundless. He was
our "go to" guy for many things, and especially Latin phrases. His most
memorable assistance was the Chuckles the Clown quote from The Mary
Tyler Moore Show: "minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata
descendum pantorum" which means "a little song, a little dance, a
little seltzer down your pants." It was difficult to decide on a theme
for his quilt. One morning, inspiration struck while I was watching "I
Remember Mama." Their lodger Mr. Hyde left his collection of classic
literature for the children. His farewell note ended with the Latin
phrase "Ave atque Vale" - hail and farewell, a fitting sentiment for this retiree.
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