The Pillow Quilt (WORDY Wednesday)

First and most importantly - all your comments made for the BEST Sunday morning ever!!!!!  I seriously had the biggest smile on my face!  I feel soooooo much less nervous now- THANKS!!   As I tried explaining to my husband why I was so happy, he looked at me and said "You are giving away how much fabric?  And this is the person you are meeting this weekend, yet your giving her fabric away?"    He doesn't get it! 

Yes, I am giving away a good chunk of fabric, but percentage wise, it's not so much.  I have an 18 gallon tub of "usable" Heather Ross.  I have a small bin with FQs of all.  That's my fire bin.  Hahaha, how embarrassing, but yes.  We have had two major fires nearby in the last few years.  After my first evacuation, I realized that I would be devastated to lose this fabric.  Is that sick?  All the kid pics are on the computer.  I grabbed the paperwork we needed.  What else?  I decided after that first evacuation that a little Fabric Fire Bin would be a good idea.  I seriously cannot believe I'm admitting to this!  It does sound a little shallow.  Of course, watching the aftermath of people losing everything makes you realize it really is just "stuff."   And I have a lot of stuff!  So, rather than have it sit in a bin- I could never use it all-I would rather share it.  I'm trying to be less "greedy" with my fabric.  I really don't need a yard of every colorway of every fabric I like.  I've learned that it really doesn't make my life better.  But, one of you will really appreciate that 11.75 yards of fabric way more that I appreciate my 18 gallon tub.  Sad, isn't it?  I really want to change that about me.  I really need to learn some gratitude. I was raised spoiled, and have outgrown a lot of it, but the "want stuff" part really lingers on!

Alright, a little ramble-y this morning......

About this quilt....a thrift store find!

I literally about fell when I saw it!  Have you ever seen anything like it?  I'm calling it the Pillow Quilt, as it is literally, a bunch of little (3.5"-4") pillows hand sewn together.  I guess it would be whipstiched together?  I would call this a small twin.  It's apx. 63"x 88" and  16 pillows x 22 pillows  I am fairly certain the pillows are machine stitched.

It's crazy well made.  

How did I know this?   I know it was not smart, but I put it in the washing machine.  I just had so much faith  that it would survive a cycle, on delicate of course.  Man, I did have some nervous tummy butterflies for that 46 minutes!  I can't explain it, but I just felt such a connection to this quilt.  It could just tell that it was strong.  I know.  I know  My husband has reminded me.  It's just a quilt.

 

But SEE!! I was right!  It made it.  I dried it in the dryer too!  I know, seriously, I did.  It's awesome!  So, since it survived and has been with us for approximately 2 months now, I have really had a chance to bond with it.  It's so great, people!  I had it on my daughter's toddler bed, folded in half, during the "cold" spell here in CA. 

I have officially decided I want to make one, but it's going to take forever.  I went a deep and thoughtful and (hormonally) decided that each little pillow is going to represent something in my life, something major for me.  And so it will be my life in a quilt, if you will.  

There will definitely be a pillow for this coming weekend(Aaaaahhhhh, freaking out), one for the wedding, one for each birth(2),  some for sad things and some for happy things.  You know, how life is.

Maybe I'll use one of Atlas' old shirts for his birth "pillow." Lila's munki jumper that's almost worn out for her birth "pillow."  A piece of the totally worn out black pants that I decided last week I could no longer wear in public, that I also wore to my Vegas wedding, will be for the wedding "pillow."   The two rejected color 5" Mendocino squares that I received from HR in the studio sale last year will be her "pillow."

Isn't that what quilts are?  They are all the quilter.  It really doesn't matter whether or not the receiver loves it or hates it, does it?  It's always better when it's well received, but it's all about the making.

I never learned to appreciate"the process" when I was younger.  I think that this is something I will make sure my kids have instilled in them.  I have no idea how to do this, but we'll learn together. 

Okay....That was a long one!  If you made it here, a sincere thanks for taking it all in!  It does feel good to share a bit more about myself after all the great comments!  Thanks for the nudge Brooke!