Archive for July, 2010

Independence Day Weekend

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

So the visit with Harriet & Nicholas was a resounding success.  Though it was hot out, we knuckled down and got the Mega quilting process done in one day.  Working together went really well, we stabilized the machine’s tracking together and were mesmerized by the psychedelic variegated purple thread from Canada which changed color as we sewed.  We got going on 4th of July morning, fortified by Peet’s lattes and by a nice break for a late brunch with Sarah Stengle.  We got back to it and finished the first pass over the whole piece in time to head up river for some wing dam boogie boarding fun up near Scudder’s Falls.

The next morning we figured out the piecing for the finishing, and made four sides of binding with one side stitched on for reference.  Harriet’s got lots of work to go, but it’s coming along BEAUTIFULLY.

Here are some pics:

Mega QuilterFront side of Harriet’s quiltReverse side of Harriet’s quiltHarriet and Nicholas

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Harriet and Nicholas’ First Quilt

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

Harriet McCaig and I met during a year long Teacher Training program for meditation in 2006.  The hectic pace of her life in NYC, where she lives and works, is a stark contrast to my bucolic and relatively slow paced lifestyle, but we share numerous interests and especially enjoy art world events together.  When I visit her, a much appreciated cultural infusion takes place.  Nicholas Croft, her boyfriend, brings a deeper level of inquiry to all that we see.

We spent a fun weekend at my house last year, laying out George’s quilt.  That lit a spark in Harriet, who came up with a plan for a quilt of her own.  True to her exacting high taste, she located a number of gorgeous fabrics and cut all the pieces for the front and back panels, and in a whirlwind weekend we pieced two sides, as Nicholas documented our efforts photographically.

On my recent visit to NYC we went to MoMA, the Met, the Brooklyn Museum and saw a Rick Owens furniture show in a private residence, and still found time to layout the backing, batting and Quilt top layers which we pinned together in preparation for the next step.  This holiday weekend I’m SO excited that they’ll be here: in between forays to cool off in the river we’ll Mega quilt the piece in preparation for the final finishing touches.  The diagrams Harriet made are as follows:

Harriet’s Quilt Plan

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