Never in a million years

Would I have thought that I would accept a commission to do a t-shirt quilt.

 

But I did. I started just before my mother got sick and I’m plugging away at it.  I suppose that one of the reasons I agreed to do it is that the person who asked me to do it is a complete sweetheart and asked me really really nicely. She has also given me the instruction that I ought to have fun doing it. I’m constructing it out of three different shirtings

 

One of the things that I do like about working on this project is that I’m getting to know a bit about the life of the woman whose t-shirts these are. I have never met her, but we have traveled at the edges of similar circles. She attended the camp I worked at while in college, has been on programs started by of staffed by friends of mine. It’s a nice thing to work on  much to my shock.

 

The quilt will be constructed out of three strips (20 inches x 72 inches) each with t-shirts collaged using a wide zig zag stitch. I plan to cover the seams with something, I haven’t quite figured out what yet. Instead of batting this quilt has a layer of flannel inside.  For you quilt geeks, yes, I did wash and dry the flannel twice so it won’t shrink in distressing ways when it is washed in the future. this top layer is stitched directly to the flannel. I’m trying to make the construction as simple as possible.

 

 

For those of you who asked, my mother is slowly improving but we are in the middle of the thicket of trying to figure out the next stages of her life.

 

I am hugely grateful to my buddy Eve who came by yesterday and treated me  to an afternoon of being taken care of. The various massages have taken away that storm from inside my head. My nails are now lavender.    Just talking and lunch alone would have done wonders for my mood but now I feel ready to start thinking about Passover with a clearer head.  Friends are indeed precious.

 

I am especially grateful to my mother’s Kitah Aleph student from  1954, for her sage advice.     Talking to her today I just felt bundles of anxiety falling away. I am grateful that my mother’s student has over time become family.