Memory Lane

Well, I recently got the disappointing news that my hexie quilt was not accepted into the CQA (Canadian Quilters Association) National Juried Show. Oh well…I know they receive so many entries and there’s not enough space to hang them all. I’m sure the judges have a huge job choosing entries according to specific qualifications and can be overwhelmed by the numbers. I’m incredibly proud of this quilt so I have to admit to being a little bummed out by not having been accepted.

This quilt was my 2024 cottage project…I started hand stitching the hexies together at the beginning of May (the start of our cottage season) and completed the top at the beginning of December (closing up time). During the evenings while watching a bit of TV or sitting on the deck outside enjoying the beautiful weather, my English paper piecing (EPP) was the perfect thing for passing the time there.

I named my quilt Memory Lane because as I stitched the hexagons together it allowed my mind to wander…memories of my husband and I as we began dating (45 years ago!), the incredible times I had with my four loving grandparents, growing up with my amazing mother and sister, crazy times with my beautiful friends past and present, and memories of my children, Kate and Alex, as they grew into the wonderful adults that I am so proud of.

Every hexagon was a colour or patterned fabric that I loved (no brown to be found in this quilt!) and while stitching the multiple sections I tried really hard to make it very balanced. Each section was approximately 10” x 15”, multiple sections were made, and many photos were taken along the way to check the balance before stitching sections together. Black prints and white prints were scattered around the quilt, and even though multiple hexies of the same fabrics were used throughout, great care was used by not having them too close to each other. 3043 hexagons were used in this quilt…yes, I’m officially crazy.

This quilt is made for the double bed at the cottage and I chose to make it as a bedspread/coverlet to reach the floor. Below right it is shown on the double bed at home and take note of the corners in the photo below left…I dislike it when quilt or bedspread corners touch the floor so I opted to cut them at an angle to prevent this from happening.

I had so much fun making this quilt and would like to do another one, but in an entirely different way. Recently I ordered hexagon graph paper (yes, there is such a thing) that is traditionally used by chemistry students, but I’ll be using it for my quilting to design some really interesting quilts. I can’t wait to see what I can come up with. Kate loaned me her bag of coloured pencils so guess what I’ll be doing at the cottage this season?!

(This is the artist statement from my CQA entry: The slow process of hand-stitching allowed me to quietly reminisce about the people who have enriched my life with joy and colour. Each of the 3043 hexagons represents a memory of family and friends, those still present and those who have passed. They all make up the patchwork of my incredible life.)