it has begun - Isa sews

Every other Sunday one of the grandkids come over for a little one on one with Gramma & Papa. This is what Isa did with her time..........

She made one wonky star block. It is a foundation pieced block. She did a great job, being very careful to stay on the lines. It didn't take too long to get all the sections sewn, and the block put together.

She chose a bright yellow batik type fabric for her star. Yellow will be very minimal on the quilt, just a little accent color.

Next, she chose an answer, and began sewing the alpha beads onto the block.

Being the "food" gal she is, she chose the "stolen snacks" answer to embellish!

Unfortunately before she could finish - it was time to go to church. So, we will need to finish this later.................

more details on the "1 couch + 6 kids = ?"

Diana about fainted when I told her that I was going to put the kids in crazy color clothes, and change the background, etc. She had worked so hard to make a fantastic photo (think she accomplished that - don't you? She always does, and it is not just a mother speaking - she gets rave reviews from all her clients), Anyway, back to topic.

I wanted to put the kids in clothing that would help reflect their passions. For instance, Isabel loves all things Chinese and loves art. So, I plan to put her in a little Chinese outfit, and use a couple small paint brushes to hold up her hair bun.

It was interesting coming up with ways to represent all their interests. Especially when Damon is barely 3, and doesn't seem to have many interests yet.

I had all the kids draw their dreams of what they want to be when they grow up. That was interesting. I got a few surprises.

I will float the couch on a cloud (instead of being in the middle of a field as in the pic), and will put wonky star blocks in the borders. The kids' drawings will float above their heads...............

Why is it called One Couch?

The picture in the header is the photo which appeared on my daughter's Christmas card - the card that inspired this whole thing!

As I looked at my beautiful grandchildren, I could see all the fun, all the mischief, all the dreams, all the personality of the kids. I knew that the quilt couldn't be an ordinary quilt, one that just was a photo of them. But, it had to be wild and crazy, it had to be fun and make you smile.

When I looked at the picture, I saw all that fun and it popped into my head "what does one couch plus six kids equal?" - and so that became the name of the quilt.

I found a really fun font to make the title of the quilt, and my friend, Deanna made mold for the buttons for me.

The answers to that question will be alpha beads sewn all over. If you have suggestions, for answers - let me know!

So what does the rest of the quilt look like............................

back to how it began

As I thought of all I want to do, and began making my plans, I sort of got drafted into heading up a Staff Quilt Show!

Wow! If I were to head up a Quilt Show, that means I need a quilt to enter! All my quilts to this point have been gifts. I could probably borrow those back, but I wanted MY quilt in the show! This is the first pattern designed with me in mind, that I plan to keep for myself! It has to be in the Show!

With a deadline looming, I am now beginning to create the One Couch quilt of the kids. My goal is to get it done in time for the Show in April.

We will see how that goes! But, I haven't explained why I call it a One Couch quilt..................

the creation of the One Couch quilts

As I came up with the title for my quilt inspired by the Christmas card, it instantly put designs of other quilts in my head. Some people don't have grand-children - instead they have pets, or are a childless couple having only each other. As I thought of how to redo the quilt pattern to accomodate these people, designs for these quilts formed in my mind.

I imagined and designed the borders and the blocks, the applique and the embellishments.

Soon, I had a whole line of quilts sketched out.

Now, I need to finalize all the plans, and begin earnestly creating the patterns and sewing a sample of each. But first...............................

It all started with a Christmas card.........

The summer of 2008 saw my daughter, Diana (a professional photographer - http://www.petersphotography.net/) combing second hand stores for the perfect couch to set down in the middle of a field, out in the country, to take the annual picture for the Christmas card she would send to clients, friends and family.

When December finally came, and I could see the pictures and the card, I knew I had to make a quilt!

The “pattern” rumbled around in my mind for 6 months, ever evolving and growing.

I knew that the title of the quilt had to express the fun the kids have together and cause an interaction with the viewer. The title came almost instantly. Being in the form of a question, I had to try to find the answers!

The many techniques used expanded my experiences and challenged my imagination.

My friend, Deanna, created the mold for the title’s buttons, and was a very big encouragement to me as she is an artist herself (see her web site at: http://www.dklstudios.com/). While working on her web site, I told her my ideas, and she suggested I work towards publishing some of my patterns.

So, this blog is the beginning of putting things together.