It's interesting how a simple letter can set a series of events rolling. Not so long ago I received a letter inviting me to submit a quilt or quilts to the show being hosted by the Cooperstown Guild. The invitation arose out of conversations I had with some lovely ladies who belong to that guild while we were at a lecture at the Fennimore House in Cooperstown. At any rate, I set the letter aside to think about. Yes, I will submit a quilt or quilts, but which quilt or quilts shall I send?
I determined that my entry should be one of the four that were in the McCall's contest. Having reached that decision, my brain stalled. Which one of my "babies" would go?
How about "Jack's Wild Ride"? After all, that quilt was the first of my designs that I actually made; he started the entire journey. As a design, he makes a strong showing. He's simple with lots of audience appeal and strong colors. Ribbons, beads, and buttons as I used them were not overwhelming and are easy for others to be able to do, also.
Then came "Miss Ruby Takes a Walk." Do you remember her? She's the red salamander strutting her stuff under the leaf of an arrowhead plant whose white flowers are also visible. Actually, it's a wall hanging consisting of 4 blocks and a border in shades of green and plum. The blocks are the arrowhead and the shoo fly (aka churn dash). Again, I think it is a good design with simple construction. Miss Ruby, however, won't be to every one's taste, and maybe the embroidery in the flowers and the buttons might be too fiddly for others. The colors are good, though.
"Daisy Makes Do" was the next wall hanging. It's a triptych design with traditional blocks in the outer panels. The center panel is a bucolic scene set in the 1930's - 1940's with women doing various chores. The importance of this scene is the older woman on the front porch of the farmhouse and her granddaughter who are working on a quilt together. The design is fair, the story is of personal significance, the fabrics were dictated by the powers-that-be at McCall's. Construction of this quilt demands non-traditional approach with applique. Is the story too personal? I don't think so because it could really represent almost any one's experience in learning at the feet of older family members. But perhaps it is, or perhaps the given fabrics and/or colors don't appeal.
Finally, "Music of the Night" which was the last of my entries. This one is a night sky with fantastic planets, stars, and galactic streams in vivid colors. A woman and two young children look at nature in awe. There are also creatures of the night (owl, lightning bugs, dragonflies, Luna moths). For this wall hanging I let my imagine go wild. Therefore, the construction may be too difficult, the design too full, and the colors too bright. Also included were ribbons, Swarovski crystals, embroidery, beads . . .
My head is spinning with reasons why one quilt or the other would or would not do for a show. All four are quilted, but two need binding (my oh-so-not-favorite part of quilt creation), and one is still in transit from Colorado. The decision wasn't being made, and I thought I may be too personally involved to be objective. So, thanks to the letter I received, I sent out a letter to a very small number of people and asked for their opinions. Which one or ones would they recommend I send and why, those were my two questions.
How would you answer it? Please write and tell me your thoughts.
I shall eagerly await your decision on the quilt submission. By the way, you are more than patient with McCall's. I'm so annoyed with them for not treating the quilt submissions with more tender care. Don't they realize what a strain it is on the quilters to not having their babies returned promptly.
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