This is the journal quilt that I made in May. Each month this year I've been making a miniature quilt (this one is about 9" x 12").
Some new things I did with this quilt:
- French knots (finally learned how to do these!)
- Sewing with transparent thread on the fish and turtles
- Machine quilted the majority of the quilt - all the layers are machine-sewn along the edges. The fish, turtles, shells, and book are hand-sewn onto the quilt.
- Using bias tape - up until this point I've just cut the backing about an inch or so bigger than the front and wrapped it around. Used bias tape this month for a more finished edge.
Symbolism of the quilt:
- My trip to Texas - visited Sea Turtle, Inc. (a rescue and rehabilitation facility for sea turtles); collected some shells from the Gulf of Mexico (3 of the shells I found are hand-sewn onto the journal quilt); and explored South Padre Island (the largest barrier island in the world, of which the majority is undeveloped).
- Finished teaching a crafting for charity class to homeschoolers. We used bias tape for making pillowcase dresses for girls who are orphans in Africa. This is a way to remember the class and the impact that the girls/teens made through crafting.
- Mother's Day - Did blue French knots on one fish to represent my mom (blue is her favorite color). Also chose 7 different fabrics for the water since I gave her 7 gifts (one to open daily from Mother's Day and for the next 6 days).
- Being a Mom - My daughters are adopted from China and there's a proverb that says: "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break." I hand-stitched red lines onto the two turtles' backs.
Also chose one of the fabrics in the water that had purple and green (my two favorite colors); and made purple French knots on one of the fish.
- Visit from a friend - My friend, his wife, and their dog visited in the middle of May. We went to Koi Acres and saw hundreds of beautiful koi - from tiny ones to ones that were over 2 1/2 feet long. The two fish in the journal quilt represent the nice time we had together.
- Completion of Homeschooling for the Year - Finished homeschooling the girls for 1st and 3rd grade. The book on the beach in the quilt represents the many books we read and all the interesting information we learned during the past year.
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A color copy of the quilt and a description of the symbolism behind the quilt (in greater detail) was sent to two partners for a swap on Swap-Bot.
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