Neighbors

This quilt has been in the works for awhile, and I’ve documented its progress in many different places (Instagram, where I’m @melintheattic, in my MQG webinar, Planned and Unplanned, in my recap of Mid-Atlantic Mod), so I’m happy to present Neighbors.

Neighbors is inspired by the shapes and shadows made by my house’s blinds as the light moves through the house each day. I made it during a time when I was thinking about fear and anxiety and how they function within a community, so some blinds are more open than others. Some face other windows while others turn away. It makes me think about how I want to interact within the groups that I belong to, and how I choose to live without fear and resist my anxiety.

It’s also about the joy and restorative properties of making. While I worked within the structure of a designed block, each block was pieced without precise measurements using a method that had planned and unplanned elements. I loved making these blocks so much that I used them as incentives to do things that I didn’t want to do. If I finished my paperwork, I got to make a block. If I mopped the floor, I got to make a block. I really loved the process of making and experimenting and seeing how it developed on my design wall, and I hope it shows in the final result.

[One quick note: I apologize to everyone who commented on my Women’s Work post– I have been delayed in responding to them, and they are so kind, please be patient and I will be in your inbox soon.]