Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Grumble, Grumble

The other day since I had to drive right by my cousins to go to FedEx, I stopped by to see the progress on the family raffle quilt. The center had been finished and passed on to the cousins to add the applique border.



WHEW, what did they do to create this awful monstrosity. What started out as a pretty neat center medallion of a windmill against a field of green has now become a space capsule sitting on a field of stained glass. The Windmill fades into the sky, that sickening stained glass effect....my 5 yo GGD could have done better. What was my cousin who took it upon herself to decide a pale cheezy blue sky would look better with that horrible stained glass effect thinking? The green background was too dark, it wouldn't look good is what I heard. What I saw was a contestant for the Ugly Quilt Contest not a traditional quilt the family would cherish. I guess my cousin was coloring outside her lines. Maverick, I doubt it, ugly for sure. I'm a snob, I admit it, but would you as a traditional type want this one on your bed or hanging on your wall? I don't think so. For a family who's tastes run to GFG's, Log Cabins and co-ordinated fabrics, this one won't be getting any blue ribbons. I rue the day I said I would handquilt it...what's a person to do at this stage of the game? Mom offered to help with the applique, my cousin doesn't want her to touch it. She's old, her stitches aren't satisfactory. I agree, she's 91, she's almost blind, but that's not the point, it's a family project. The nieces, nephews, grandkids want a piece of something she's put her hand to and stitched. She's Mom, Gramma, Auntie and Great Auntie. She's the only one left and when she goes, there goes that generation of family. This yearly quilt isn't about my cousin. It's all about family, a generation at the end of her life. It's about my MOM and how loved she is. It's about passing on a heirloom, a time to look back on and take pause for reflection as we remember those family picnics and realize that we are now MOM. I doubt anyone will want to save and cherish this one as a family heirloom to be passed on to the generations to come.

6 comments:

Lucy said...

To me the quilt is dutch:c) with a field of flowerbulbs in teh front and at the side dutchmans puzzle :c)

Laurie Ann said...

I thought the next person on the round robin was supposed to add another border, not change the original piece totally! I agree, it does look like a space ship taking off. Your cousin seems to be taking a few too many liberties.

Ann said...

I agree, this isn't the prettiest quilt I've ever seen, but I'm sure with a little creative quilting, you'll bring the design out and improve upon it! And I'd just HAVE to invite Mom to help me quilt it JUST because some one else didn't want her touching it....I'm a rebel that way!

Sarah said...

I love the appliques in the border, but you are right about the wind mill - it looks kind of funky. It does sound like your cousin is on a power trip.

ForestJane said...

Could you possibly do some of that hand painting kind of stuff, in darker blue, on the sky, so that the very pale blue that doesn't get painted on becomes cloud-like?

And if you don't want to hand quilt the whole thing, suggest that it might be finished faster if you do some machine sewn straight lines on the windmill blades... might help them stand out stronger against the pale sky.

Evelyn aka Starfishy said...

Maybe when you get your hands on it you could applique a narrow black border around the windmill blades - tie it into the stained glass effect and also make the blades stand out from the sky - I agree - it is hard to see. The applique border is looking nice...

Cheers!

Evelyn