Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Note To Self #2: A Quilt Inspired by The Head and the Heart

I made another word quilt for a dear friend, who has been a close companion for about 7 years now. Julie and I meet up a few times a year and stay in near-constant contact through Facebook and Goodreads, where we obsess about Broadway and cheer each other on with our book reading goals, respectively. We've both made each other lots of things over the years, and this year, I thought she deserved a mini quilt with a quote that speaks to both of us.


The quote is from the song "Library Magic" by The Head and The Heart. Julie mentioned the song a while back - it was one I hadn't listened to before by a band I already liked. The phrase "there will always be better days" is repeated several times throughout the song, and it's a perfect reminder. I felt very calm and fulfilled while I quilted it (and listened to the song on repeat, of course).


As I talked about in this post, it always takes some consideration to decide which fonts to quilt in and which threads to use. If it's a dark background, I want the words to be as bright/light as possible; the surrounding quilting can vary, as long as the quilting closest to the words isn't also a light color.

I paired up a bunch of Aurifil threads to make my vision come to life (#2024 white - 28 weight for the words - and #2520 Violet, #1200 Blue Violet, #2735 Medium Blue, #2600 Dove Gray - 50 weight). The blue variegated thread (#4655 Storm At Sea) was the perfect choice for those little pebbles. I love using variegated thread on small details!


Instead of using all solids like in the first Note to Self quilt, I surrounded the words with some precious cuts of Mod Corsage fabric by Anna Maria Horner (which is now even more precious due to Free Spirit Fabrics shutting down - little did I know a couple weeks ago). I found a lovely piece of quilting cotton in my stash for the backing, which Julie said she loved. Good call on that one. :)


While I was taking pictures of the new quilt, I realized the original Note to Self mini quilt was hanging nearby. I had to get a picture, even though the light wasn't totally ideal. My approach to these mini quilts hasn't changed much over the past year, but I still feel like I want to explore this style even more.


What song lyrics would you put on a quilt? I have quite a few, so I think I'll just keep making quilts.

Linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday, TGIFF, Crazy Mom Quilts.

6 comments:

  1. I love this idea, I can think of a few friends who would appreciate a word quilt. x

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  2. What a lovely mini quilt for Julie, and it is great to see it hanging in context with an earlier quote mini quilt. There are so many song quotes that resonate with me, it would almost be hard to pick only one to start with!

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  3. What a great gift to give to a friend. And sounds like it was the perfect mantra for your calmness and serenity. Win, win!

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  4. Lyrics for me on a quilt:: All I want for Christmas is a real good tan. Kenny Chesney

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  5. I definitely have a few sayings that come to mind. I think everyone has moments where they need to stop and take a breath before forging through challenges. Music and memory are often intertwined that way, so this mini, from your hands to hers, is so poignant and powerful. Thanks for sharing at TGIFF.

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  6. thank you for introducing me to this song! I loved it!AND the quilt!

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Let's start a conversation! I love comments and I'd be happy to reply to all who have an email address accessible. Thanks for commenting!

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