Persnickety Quilts

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Thursday, April 8, 2010

For some years, I served on the liturgical arts team at church. Our role was to “set the stage” for worship, no small task considering we met in the cafeteria of a local middle school at the time. Transforming the space for worship required Banners and displays went a long way toward creating a sense of "place" in an otherwise austere setting.

Even so, our focus was more , I longed to add something more elaborate to the liturgical art rotation, something bigger, bolder, and more engaging, something made specifically with young church families in mind -- a baptismal banner!

"a visual sermon, a parable in pictures, a catechism for the eyes!"

With I chose the theme of baptism, based on the following scripture:

And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from Heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17

Wow, talk about dramatic imagery, Bargello patchwork, with its gradient colors and flamelike designs was the perfect technique for depicting this scene! Green, yellow, and blue represent the water of baptism, the fire of the Holy Spirit, and the turbulent heavens. Of course, the bright colors and eye-catching design are equally suitable for other church events, such as first communion, confirmation, weddings, funerals, or any other time "the Spirit moves!" Trinity

I approached construction like making a quilt, layering the Bargello top with thin batting and backing, then sewing around it pillowcase style to avoid binding. Machine quilting helped stabilize the seams and encouraged the banner to hang straight. Surprisingly, the dove required the most work in the form of interfacing, hand beading, satin stitch appliqué, and a flourish of silver braid, all finished at the last minute.

Our son William was the first child baptized with the banner. Here he is, a proud six year old, with Pastor Dan Poffenberger (1998).

I can't fathom the number of children welcomed to faith with this banner. It's gratifying to know that what grounded us in our early years as a congregation continues to inspire all these years later.

Rejoice Lutheran Church, Geneva, Illinois

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

I See London, I See France

Some of you may recall a giveaway I won a couple years ago from Lucy of Quilting with the Past II. My prize was this charming primitive doll named Little Faithy.

I'm embarrassed to mention it, but Faithy arrived immodestly dressed, with no undergarments to speak of! Fortunately I had these hand crocheted panties that fit her to a tee.

Does anyone know what these fancy pants were originally intended for? I doubt they were made as doll clothes since there is a crocheted loop at the waistline for hanging. The bloomers are far too small to be used as a hot pad, as so many crocheted oddities were in the 1940’s and 50’s. I thought perhaps they were meant to cover a small sachet pillow for one’s lingerie drawer .

At any rate, I’m happy to finally put them to some use. They’re far too pretty to keep hidden in a drawer. Ironically, the only way of revealing their lacy loveliness is to encourage people to peek under Faithy’s skirt. So much for modesty!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Another birthday, another doll quilt... believe me, it never gets old! Here’s the beauty my friend Barb at Fun with Barb surprised me with this year. It's a four patch variation made of reproduction prints in the chocolate browns I love.

Barb and I have swapped several little quilts over the years, but I never stopped to consider how many other friends she might also be trading with. I'll bet she's made well over a hundred doll quilts by now!

Enjoy these photos from my personal collection. A few of them I've shown before, but they're even better when viewed en masse.

Barb likes to add surprises to the back of her quilts. Many feature novelty prints, like the fish on the back of the Lewis and Clark Medallion, or sock monkeys on the Puss in the Corner quilt. Kitchen prints grace the yellow and pink four patch quilt.