The Beginning

Yesterday I helped Melissa with a garage sale.  She is living in my MIL's house and we never really cleared all of her things since she passed away last fall.  I knew she still had some treasures and she had enjoyed a long life sewing.  So I was pretty sure that I would find some remnants.  I did.  I also found a dress bodice that was still pinned to the pattern and I knew it would be perfect for the ground of my first cloth to cloth weaving shown above.

I knew I might find some stripe or plaid shirts to repurpose into this project.  I'm wondering now if I will ever actually finish this.  My guess is that I won't because I know myself really well.  My passions come and go and I enjoy the moment but get bored and move on to something else.  I will say that I have enjoyed quilting for more years than I can remember and have finished a few and have a few unfinished.

I have great intentions.

With time.

I will finish.

My first two woven components are about 14" square. I know it is hard to tell on the screen. 

The fabric I used for the checkerboard is a wonderful chartreuse green that is poorly shown here. I think I remember master bedroom curtains made of this and that is the type of fabric it is. The weave of the fabric is such that the back/wrong side is black and the front/right side is the green. I have used front and back of the fabric remnant for the checkerboard. I tore the fabric in random size strips to weave. I am not interested in an exact square of squares. 

I have watched in astonishment how Jude uses her textile without any notice or concern of the wrinkles and creases and I am convinced that fact could be one of the mysteries of the beauty of Jude's Spirit Cloths. Therefore, I have set aside my own compulsive disorder regarding ironing the remnants. 

Of course the first thing I did when I got home with my new stash was run all of it through the washer and dryer. Hoping, as I think Jude does, that colors will run and fade and color wash over the whole load. Another mystery to the cohesive integration of Jude's cloths. I'm sure.

Weaving within a weaving adds such mystery.

I think.

I learned a thing or two with this first effort and hope to remember them during my next try.

I have four grandchildren and following the tradition of my own grandmother of making a quilt for each of them is my motivation. Should I finish this one, it will be Tim's.

The blue gingham check is from one of his outgrown shirts. I wonder if he will remember it. He won't know about the other pattern in this 9" component. I think in the woven form here, it looks like a camouflage.

The fact is, the little square was laying handy by my chair and it is repurposed or reused times 3. In it's new life it was a house dress belonging to my Aunt. That would be my Mother's sister who married my Daddy's brother. I don't think Tim every knew her. I used it because it had green in the design and brought its compliment of an orangy red. Aunt Minnie had sewn a quilt top of random repurposed fabrics and gave to me years ago. And last year, I ripped it apart to reuse. So it was just a little 9 inch square that I anchored on the WIP bodice and then wove Tim's shirt into it.

Now they know each other.

I will continue making components and stitching and adding embellishment.

It took me a while to get started with this project. In my mind, I thought I would clean out my closet. And I will. But it is hard to just take the things out before knowing that I will use them. Clothes that I haven't worn for whatever reason in way too long. So I go to the closet thinking I will pull something out and just rip it up.

Can't.

I needed to start first with cloth remnants. I did take this skirt from the hanger and cut the elastic band off. It was a favorite that I haven't worn in several years. I took it off the hanger and held it up to me and thought, "I might still wear this". Then, I put it on and I thought, "No, I won't".

So I quickly cut the band off and washed it. Now the skirt is waiting for me. I have my eye on a black skirt next.