Thursday, December 3, 2015

The Quilt: Home in Midwest










 {selfie}









When you scroll your way down, were you thinking what I am thinking? I hope you do! It is a quilt that is so painful to make! By painful, I mean a good one; I ripped all the pieces apart when I was 1/3 way through the piecing then re-pieced, trimmed every squares, matched most of the seams, but still have a few oops! Quilted it on my little Patchwork Edition Bernina and kept thinking when this is going to end?! {as my right hand wrist was bothering me for a few weeks by then}. But after all these steps, I must tell you that this quilt has all my loves for almost 20 years living in Midwest, friendships that made and much much more!

It possible was from this {post} I wrote back in 2011 when we just moved to North Dakota. We had no friends, no connections to anyone locally, and everything started from scratch for us again! We were quiet brave then!  It was scary and lonesome! I was more active in writing and more expressive about what I was that time! That first winter in N.D. was terrible hard and extremely long and not to mention fridge cold weather! We experienced what it felt like 40 below with the negative 40 windchill and we also encountered so many unexpected events! Oh, it seemed never ended at time and I never though I made it through my three-year master program study!

After a week or two posting, I've got an unfamiliar addressed package in our little metal mail box! The first thing, S said, did you buy more fabrics? I did't think I did! So, who's address is this? Do I know this address? Did I order any fabric, maybe? I opened the package and found a beautiful layer cake fabric and with a very kind note from Monica aka {mountainofthedragon}. Monica was the very first few Etsy stores that I purchased fabrics from when I just discovered online fabric shops. I actually had no idea that she was reading the blog! Within the note, Monica wrote she was feeling sad that I was being homesick and feeling sad. She wanted to cheer me up, so sent me a care package!  Then there were many just because care packages came to us! From time to time, I still ask; why me?

I reread that note so many times and treasure the package for years. It moved with me to many places and was waiting for a right quilt pattern for it and really just waited the time to come! That took me four years to turn it into a quilt that I believe will sit in my heart for years to come! Not just the kindness friendship that Monica extended to me, but also the heartfelt feeling that till this day I still hold on tightly; Generosity!

Last year, when we moved in our new home, I have had the plan to make a quilt as a housewarming quilt to ourselves! However, with what I was going through it was impossible to even think about sewing and great things around us. I think it is just kinda that way sometimes! It is hard to remind myself the cheerleaders out there for me and hard to tell myself it will get better?! There are quiet a bit of struggles and it took long time to sort it out!

This quilt is not my designed quilt pattern, it is fully inspired by a Japanese magazine that I subscribed last year. As reading through the magazine, the pattern for making the house quilt came and soon I knew it would be perfect to use Retro pop layer cake as the starter quilt colors. I plan this quilt  will be a family quilt, so BIG is the idea of the quilt size. The quilt math for the quilt top took a bit longer, cutting the layer up was scary, adding more prints to the quilt top pile was alike shopping through the stash once more time.

Somehow I stopped again...

It took another month or longer to restart working on this quilt. All the sewing seams were ripped off because I wasn't satisfied how it turn.  This involved trimming job ahead, pressing seams open in proper way. Yet, I wasn't in a hurry at all; no time framing for completing this quilt, but truly enjoy he making process!

The repeating of stop and start making this quilt was over a year. Sometimes, I made a few blocks a day and sometimes was hard to push forward to make another sewing day count. The week before we took off for the summer family visit, I was quiet ready to finish it! The entire week, I was absorbed with thread, fabric, and sewing! Maybe a bit time space out for self!  I was sewing most part of the day and it felt really great and accomplished!

The finished quilt top was waiting for the backing.  It took another few months because I was hoping to give it a name and the name would be still my heart for time to come. {Home in Midwest} somehow pops in my head and I think it is quiet perfect for it! It is labelled in 2014 because I wanted to remember the year we first have a real place to called Home! After almost 20 years in the states and moved to many places. I have sat my heart in the Midwest and that also included friendships extended to us here at quarter inch mark.

I never have though I'd make any friends from this blog and never though this place gets any people to follow up! It started out with a though of a place that I can record part of our life adventure and my works. I know eventually it will come to an end as we all move on in different directions and life goes on and on!

This blog allows me to met so many wonderful people! They are in my heart even though I haven't get the chance to meet them in real part of life.  Since we moved quiet often, it is harder to keep in touch with friends that met in the city/town we lived. I've always feel like a passenger passing from places to places and from town to town; never have a ground that could hold on tight to. But I thankful that can bring quarter inch mark with me whenever and where ever I go on {smile}!

When I was much younger, I always wondered about how our life would take us to. I always tried really hard to adopted and fitted in all things around us and tried to be very energetic about every little events, but it was hard, unreal and unhappy! After years to come and all, I discovered being the most authentic self is the honest way to live and be.

It is really hard to say {Thank You} in the way that I would like it "sounded" here! But {Thank You} for all your unconditional loves of friendships, readerships and endless coming back! I do read all your comments with a big {smile} on and reply in my head {So sweet of you} { Wow! You think the same!} { These emojis are so cute!} { How far do you live?} {This is kind!} {Why?} and much more. I hope you do and know that you are not just encouraging, but meaningful!


xxc

p.s. The package has finally arrived! 










19 comments:

  1. Despite all the trouble and time, it's GORGEOUS!

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  2. I love all of your pictures. This quilt will definitely be a treasure for years to come. I admire your patience with redoing and redoing many parts of it. It was worth it!

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  3. What a happy quilt and wonderful post. Plus, I love the binding ; )

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  4. I am sooooooooo in love with this quilt. You have made a truly beautiful family quilt that will be treasured for many, many years. I am always inspired and in awe of your quilts.

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  5. Chase, I love your quilt! I love you. It's hard to believe it was 2011 when you moved to ND, it seems much longer ago.😊🎄 it seems like you lived there a long, long time.

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    1. Carol,

      Isn't it amazing we were there and back? I remember these years! Thank you so much for your care packages! They all have been cherish till these days! I love all our talks about that part of the country back then! Chase x

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  6. Your quilt is beautiful. I understand how hard it is to make friendships because of moving so often. I am a Midwestern also living here in St. Louis. I'm glad you are settled in now.

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  7. At the beginning of you letter you talked about living in North Dakota and feeling so blue. I have to tell you that I have felt that as well, but over and over again. You see my husband was career military and we moved alot. In 1976, with a new baby and 4 yr. old girl. we moved to Minot just before winter. I was so lonely, no friends and house bound, it was tough. This happened every time we moved until the girls got old enough for school and I went to work. But I know what you wrote was real. You survived and so did I and we have to be proud of that. Its our pioneering spirit. Happy Holidays to you.

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    1. Hi Joyce,

      Thank you! Wow, Minot! We never visited there! We were in Grand Forks and travelled down to Fargo very often. I am very glad that you made it! My little S was just 6 when moved there! It was hard for her, but eventually it all turned out well! Moving is hard and it makes us stronger and adopting life change quicker! Thank you for writing and sharing your story with me! Happy Holidays to you as well! Chase x

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  8. I always enjoy clicking open your posts! Your sentiments are very genuine, a pleasure to read, and then you share beautiful patchwork like this, with creative photography! I must try a quilt label like this soon - love it! ND looks soooo cold!

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  9. Chase...the way you express yourself so openly, loving and caring is so endearing to all of us! The way you share what you are feeling through your pictures is amazing too! Your creativity comes out in all of it. Some day I hope to acquire some of that creativity!! :)
    Your quilt is lovely and the story behind it makes it even better!

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  10. The quilt is beautiful.
    xx Beca

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  11. Just last night I saw a similar quilt on Pintrest and instantly fell in love - funny how that happens sometimes. I have the very first layer cake I ever bought online and have been saving it for that "perfect" project and decided last night I had found it. After seeing your quilt I am even more convinced. Thank you for what you contribute to the quilting community you are an inspiration.

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  12. This quilt is so fun, happy and bright. The way you framed each square really makes it special. You're so talented. I love the black and white border - perfect. My favorite picture is the one where you're looking straight down and it shows your sock-feet in the picture. Thanks for sharing your quilt and yourself with us.

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  13. A wonderful quilt as usual. Love having glimpses into your life--baking, cooking, quilting, sewing, and so on.
    How do you find so much time to quilt/sew? I would enjoy knowing how you schedule your time.

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  14. I love, love, love this quilt. And your blog, the way you write says so much about the person you are... 😀 I am making some of your scrappy Patchwork bags for Xmas presents and they are a lovely way to use up scraps of fabric and wadding, thank you for the inspiration. Love and hugs Sue xx

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  15. I just came upon your lovely quilt, it certainly is adorable. The binding is just as perfect and the story to go with it is very endearing. Beautiful all together. Would you be willing to tell me how large each square is? - just so I can picture it better!

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