Monday, November 30, 2015

Jolie laide



Another finish! And though I use an exclamation point at the end of that short sentence, as if I feel triumphant, I am in fact ambivalent about this quilt. This is one of those "almost" quilts - it's almost what I wanted it to be, it's almost good, I almost like it. Which makes me feel a little sad for it. Maybe it will grow on me. There are definitely aspects of it that I feel good about, and certainly I learned new things working on it, so there is that. But still. I guess it's particularly apt, the name I've been calling it as I work on it—Jolie laide. Such a great phrase. Beautiful ugly. I guess it is properly only feminine, but I can certainly think of any number of men who could be described the same way: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Abraham Lincoln, that actor on Girls with the wonderful torso and enormous ears, what's his name? Adam Driver.

The bits I am digging are: the long vertical strips of that old Amy Butler print, the way the big flowers are fractured in places with other pieces of fabric. The yellow and pink combination. The fact that I was able to use all those half-square triangles originally created for a different quilt. The kinda vintage-y feel it has, overall.

The bits that bug me: somehow, the dimensions are wrong, it should be a rectangular quilt instead of a square one. It should also be bigger, with maybe another sort of block introduced to mess it all up a bit more. I quite consciously put on that red binding, thinking I'd like that bit of clash, but now it reads more McDonaldland palette to me. I wonder if I wash it, if I'll like it better? More wrinkly? I might try it.

Anyway, in other news, I have loaded some yardage and scrap bags in my Etsy shop, if anyone is interested in taking a look. I have a lot of fabric to re-home before we leave in January, so if you're in the market, please check it out. I feel a little weird doing this bit of promotion, but it's GOT TO GO.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OffhandQuilts?ref=hdr_shop_menu
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3 comments:

  1. smazoochieDecember 2, 2015 at 7:09 PM

    It is hard to think of anything yellow & pink as being ugly. A yellow & pink quilt, on the shortest day of the year, would be its own source of light.
    And even with your McDonald's suggestion, that is not what comes to my mind.

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  2. Tonya RicucciDecember 3, 2015 at 4:13 PM

    you're being too harsh. it really does read lovely soft vintage. I like the binding and think it will look better after it crinkles in the wash.

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  3. RuthDecember 8, 2015 at 1:32 AM

    Well I am fascinated by your good description of your feelings about this quilt. As you can tell from Pinterest, I am quite fond of it.

    But I feel that I should learn from what you say and not jump straight to trying to make you feel better about it. Bottom line, how you feel about what you make is what matters.

    That said .. :) ... McDonald's never once came to mind for me either. I felt/feel that the red binding is a stroke of genius, and it comes to me when I'm in the studio .. what would be the unexpected choice? I ask myself. Interesting about the dimensions, etc. Hmm.

    Anyway, ugly would not be a word I would use, but you are welcome to use it, of course, as it is your child. :) I love this quilt.

    And oh dear, I am going to have to refrain myself from buying up your whole shop. I will try to limit myself (and I'd just promised myself I would be good after spending $59 at the thrift store ...)

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