Ouch--

Some of the thoughts I wrote

Our Thread Tales Book Club read "Jane" by Robin Maxwell. I finished this project June  2015.

In the opening chapters of the book, we read that our heroine awakes in a nest feeling bruised and broken. At the time, I was in pain from a tiny cyst that was on my foot. I could relate to the pain. The pain became my inspiration for the quilt.

I also was inspired by the work of Susan Shie an art quilter who writes words, thoughts, messages, and stories in her projects. 

Label

I was and still am drawn to how line creates interest in a quilt. I've a number of quilts that I've made with line in mind. This project was one of them. Gertie, my inner squirrel, thinks I should document them and perhaps I will. . . but, not today or this year! (She is not happy with that decision and her tail is flipping and she is chirping loudly!!)

I drew a leg with a foot attached on a piece of muslin. Because I am not adept at sketching, I used Google to help me learn how to sketch what I needed.

Quilt back

I layered the project with wool as the batting and muslin as the backing. I quilted the project, which is about nine inches by nine inches, using cotton thread. I quilted enough space between the lines so that I could write thoughts in the spirit of Susan Shie. 

Before I wrote on my project, I made a list of statements that I felt regarding this cyst. I wrote about what I missed being able to do, how I felt about dealing with pain every step I took and what life would be like if the pain became my normal. 

I used different marking pens to write my thoughts. Susan liked Sharpie markers for the bold line. I found that brand to run too much for my liking. I liked the micron pigma pens best. I wrote with red ink the words/thoughts that were the biggest triggers for me at the time.

It was cathartic to make this quilt. While I seriously considered foot surgery, I decided the recovery period was worse than my foot pain. In the end, that cyst went away on its own. 

Quilt front

I zig zag stitched black cording along the edge of the project as the "binding." For book club quilts I liked trying new processes or techniques in a new to me way. Sketching, writing on the project and the binding technique were all new to me. 

Although I haven't written or bound a project like this since, another time I would.