Daily Practice Quilt for 2021: Taking Each Day As It Comes

This is another in my series of yearly quilts, where since 2014 I have tracked goals, habits, and personal practices, representing them through patchwork, stitching, and handwriting.

For 2021 I decided to simply “track” the days in my patchwork, nothing more. So each of these log cabins documents three months, moving through the year clockwise around the quilt. Again, I used a strip of goldenrod yellow on the 23rd day of each month, a way of marking time. I pick the 23rd day because of my birthday, September 23, which I love!

I was thinking about counting things in my life, perhaps because I had a goal that year to put on my roller skates 365 times. This got me considering other things I could count in my life that year… number of times I finished a quilt, number of times I yelled at the kids, number of lectures I gave. And things I did during the year countless times… walks, covid calculations, study hours, naps…

I wrote some words about things counted and not counted throughout 2021. Notable events from the year, big and small. I copied a few entries from my daily line-a-day journal. I embroidered all these words around the border of my quilt. That took a long time! The result is a new sort of a record of my year, similar to other quilts in this series but different too.

Daily Practice Quilt for 2021: Taking Each Day As It Comes

Daily Practice Quilt for 2021: Taking Each Day As It Comes, detail

Daily Practice Quilt for 2021: Taking Each Day As It Comes, detail

Daily Practice Quilt for 2021: Taking Each Day As It Comes, detail

Daily Practice Quilt for 2021: Taking Each Day As It Comes, detail

Daily Practice Quilt for 2021: Taking Each Day As It Comes, back

Label, Daily Practice Quilt for 2021: Taking Each Day As It Comes

The text on this quilt is intentionally hard to read. I wanted it to fade into the border of the quilt, and for the viewer to have to come in close to read it. That said, I may have taken this concept a bit too far as it’s actually pretty hard to read, even in person (and harder through a screen). I will document the text here, for anyone who wants to know what it says. Big thanks to my photographer Mitch Hopper for taking all these extra photos for me so I could have images of all the words I stitched.

L-R:

I shaved my head for the first time

2021: Take each day as it comes

February 21 Journal: Spent another day watching QC lectures and sewing. Getting stuff done in the studio is good. Did a little studying. We are worried about our roof and gutters with all the ice and snow. S is always at Krys’ and P always on calls.

L-R:

March 1 Journal: Everyday feels the same. Study a lot, sew a little.

And then it is another day and another day and another, but I will not go on about this because no doubt you too have experienced time. (quote by Jenny Offill)

being alive matters quite a bit even when you feel like shit being alive (lyric by Frankie Cosmos)

I fretted about the kids’ grades a lot.

L-R:

I practiced my roller skating 365 times.

I skated in the house, in the garage, on the tennis courts, at the skate park, at Lombard Roller Rink (Monday night lessons). I skated with the kids sometimes, by myself usually.

I relished having a new patio and yard furniture.

I got vaccinated and boosted (all four of us did).

L-R (starting two in):

I started OT school and I have never worked so hard. I felt inadequate, I wanted to quit, I cried, I procrastinated, and stressed. Then I finished the semester with all A’s and felt so relieved and proud. I love my cohort. They helped me through. I hosted them 3 times this semester (Weenie roast, soup night, Friendsgiving).

I finished 8 quilts.

June 1 Journal: Meant to fast all day but ate a bunch of cookies instead. Nothing changes lol

I had a period that lasted 10 long days so my doctor sent me to the ER. I have a small fibroid. Apparently they are pretty common.

Top to bottom, starting 1 down:

I drove P to camp then had a solo retreat for 4 days. I sewed and wrote. I logged in to P’s summer school class so she could get the credit.

June 30 Journal: My first painful/traumatic experience at the dentist. They used a waterpik thing that really hurt. The whole thing was exhausting. Didn’t do much the rest of the day. Tomorrow marks my starting over/clean slate just like last year haha

I tried hypnosis for the first time, an effort to curb my junk food binges. It helped for a while.

525, 600 minutes, moments so dear, how do you measure a year? (lyric from Rent)

Top to bottom:

I swooned over fluffy clouds, sunrises, sunsets, and rainbows.

I worked, I laughed, I had sex, I took baths, I scrolled for too long, I worked hard. I was here, I was here. Still alive, still alive.

October 12 Journal: Nate and P went to breakfast with Jim and Deb, I stayed home to “study” aka eat a bunch of junk and watch tv. Went on IG live with Heidi P then gave the lecture for my guild. Practicing QuiltCon lecture went okay. Nap, popcorn and tv with Nate. Succession is back.

I gave four zoom lectures to quilt groups.

I lost weight, I gained weight, I ended up about the same.

R-L:

I relied on Nate to make dinner every night and help with laundry so I could focus on school. I was so grateful for all the ways he supported me and the kids all year.

I went back to therapy.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it as serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. (quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson)

L-R:

I clashed with S at least 33 times that I mentioned in my journal, about school, Krys, money, vaping, ghosting, motivation, and who knows what else.

I butted heads with P at least 8 times (according to my journal), probably all about school (maybe some about screens but mostly about school).

I got a treadmill in my studio and I’m definitely more active, especially in the colder months.

L-R:

I found a basal cell carcinoma on my forearm and had it removed. The Dr was impressed that I spotted it.

I took countless walks and later in the year got a bit obsessed with hitting 10.000 steps a day (new Fitbit).

Top to bottom:

I decorated the yard with birdhouses and other trinkets and successfully grew sunflowers and wild flowers and not much else. I love our little yard for the first time.

I turned 40.

I joined RC Fitness again and love working hard at the gym.

I had two quilts hang in exhibits, one at the National Quilt Museum, one at Woman Made Gallery.

Top to bottom:

August 10 Journal: Worked hard on my to do list. Finished things up for school, quilting, felt productive though still so much to do. Big storm rolled through. Made a healthy dinner. I’m trying.

To everything, turn turn turn, there is a season. (Lyrics by The Byrds)

Top to bottom:

January 13 Journal: Went to the tennis courts right after sunrise and skated with music for 20 minutes and it was the best! I’m trying to work up my endurance. Tried to do schoolwork the rest of the day. Motivation is running low.

I did countless COVID calculations (with help from Nate and the internet) about where we should go or not go, who we should see or not see, where we should eat or not eat. Pandemic risk assessment is part of life now.

I took the kids’ phones during remote school days and gave them back after homework and chores. For a while I made them give me a hug when I handed it to them. It was nice but we didn’t keep it up.

And we’re back to the beginning :)

Bee quilt: black&white&rainbow pineapples (and a bonus purple pineapple quilt)

During the early days of the pandemic, I signed up to participate in a bee with some of my guild members. This was my first time taking part in a bee like this, where each member requested a certain type of block or patchwork, and the other members of the group provided what they asked. I really enjoyed making the blocks for the other members and felt inspired by their prompts. When it came to my turn to request blocks from other bee members, I struggled to come up with a cool prompt. I blame covid brain for my lack of creativity in this instance (not that I actually had covid, just that the early period of the pandemic made my brain feel so weird and mushy).

Rainbow Sunshine Pineapples 2022

I had a pad of pineapple block foundation papers in my studio, a freebie from QuiltCon many years ago. I have always loved this quilt by Tricia Royal, so I asked her if she would be okay with me using it as the template for my bee quilt. She said go for it, so I sent a couple foundation papers to my bee members. I decided I wanted to add a border that would contrast with the black & white. My first idea was to try purple blocks as a juxtaposition, since I had a lot of purple in my stash that wasn’t getting used much. I wasn’t feeling that combination, so those purple blocks turned into their own quilt (see below). Next I tried to yellow blocks for my border and I was happy with that outcome. It wasn’t my first time using yellow in this way; this quilt from 2016 definitely influenced my design choice here. I’m happy with this bee quilt even though I couldn’t come up with a super unique prompt for my bee members. I love having an homage to Tricia’s work of my own.

Rainbow Sunshine Pineapples, detail

Pineapple quilt by Tricia Royal

Rainbow Sunshine Pineapples, detail

Rainbow Sunshine Pineapples, back

Rainbow Sunshine Pineapples, label

This quilt measures 71”x83” and was quilted for me by Sarah Evans.



And here is the quilt that came from the purple blocks I made. I paired purple with chambray and navy and tried to focus on contrast in my composition. Honestly I never thought I’d make or love a mostly purple quilt but here we are. It’s a nice nap size quilt and I absolutely adore the quilting done by Sarah Evans on it (a fun panto by Longarm League called Thread Garden). Measures 59”x70”. Photos are by Mitch Hopper (except the one of Tricia’s quilt).

Purple Pineapples, 2022

Purple Pineapples, detail

Purple Pineapples, detail

Purple Pineapples, detail

Purple Pineapples, back

Purple Pineapples, label

Mini for Holly

This is a gift for my friend who helped me find something I couldn’t find on the internet.

When I made this star quilt for my in-laws for Christmas, I was using a favorite bundle that had been on my shelf for ages. I knew the name of the bundle and the designer who had grouped the colors but couldn’t find a list of the Kona colors in the bundle anywhere! I needed to replenish some but didn’t know what they were. My friend Holly came through with her search skills. I made this for her to say thanks. I used scraps from the star quilt that she helped make possible.

Mini quilt for Holly, 18”x16”

Mini quilt for Holly, 2021. Measures 18”x16

Mini quilt for Holly, detail

Mini quilt for Holly, detail

Mini quilt for Holly, back

Mini quilt for Holly, label

Chicago Modern Quilt Guild 10th Anniversary Mini

My guild, Chicago Modern Quilt Guild, was supposed to celebrate its 10th anniversary in March 2020 with a party. Obviously we had to cancel that event but we hope to reschedule. And when we do, we’re going to display these 10th anniversary mini quilts, which members made to celebrate the guild and the friendships and connections fostered there. I made this quilt using scraps from the baby quilt I organized for Laura, Mitch, and Fiona. I thought it was fitting to use scraps from a quilt that was made with the help of lots of guild pals. Measures 23” square.

CMQG 10th Anniversary Mini, 2020

detail

label

Radical Acceptance Quilt, Dove Bar Edition

This quilt started life one day several years ago, when I got a haircut, came home, and spent the rest of the afternoon constructing a suit of armor out of Dove bar boxes I had been saving for the purpose, giving myself paper cuts under my armpits, suffering for my art. I took these self portraits on my phone and then used them to make repeat pattern designs which I had printed onto fabric. When the quilt was in progress, I used parts of it for a drawing class assignment where I layered paper of varying transparencies over the patchwork (read more about that here). But I always knew it would eventually become a full quilt. And now it finally has. I’m making peace with myself, with my suboptimal coping mechanisms, with my body’s size and shape. And this busy quilt has been one step in that process.

The patchwork text says, “The last box” and “for real this time”, a sort of joke in our house after how many times I have said it about these treats that I tend to binge one after another when I’m sad or stressed. The text around the border says, “If you never kick this habit I love you No matter what I love you I love you you’re okay”. I wanted to use sort of circular phrases so it would make sense no matter where the viewer’s eyes started.

Radical Acceptance Quilt, Dove Bar Edition. 2021. 55”x75”. Photos by Mitch Hopper.

Radical Acceptance Quilt, Dove Bar Edition. 2021. Measures 55”x75”

Radical Acceptance Quilt, Dove Bar Edition, detail

Radical Acceptance Quilt, Dove Bar Edition, detail

Radical Acceptance Quilt, Dove Bar Edition, detail

Radical Acceptance Quilt, Dove Bar Edition, back

Radical Acceptance Quilt, Dove Bar Edition, label