i called this one handy andy, as it's an oversized interpretation of a classic quilt block by the same name..
the made fabric is scraps of vintage fabric that i picked up in paducah, kentucky, during quilt week 2014. the national quilt museum was holding a fundraiser in one of the vending halls, where they were selling gallon sized ziplock bags crammed full of old fabrics for about $1-$3 a bag. since i am a fabric hoarder/collector and can't not adopt wayward old bits of fabric, i bought about 20 ziplocks and hauled them back to chicago (in my dear friend erika's honda CRV), with much glee and very little shame. i paired the vintage bits with vintage solids i bought from a vendor at the randolph street market. the really bright green that forms the cross that seems to overlay the quilt is a really fun, electric, minty linen i found at the textile discount outlet in pilsen.
one of my favorite things about this quilt is how that minty green seems to hover above the other elements...another quilt that messes with your mind and creates a weird but intriguing depth. it's like a blown up grid and cornerstone, elements in quilt making that have been obsessing me lately.
i don't plan a lot before or very much as i'm working on my quilts. images like these seem to emerge slowly as i plod along and make decisions about what feels right as the quilt making process proceeds. i surprise myself with the final outcome almost every single time. i'm just letting it happen...and this is what seems to come out of me.
this was another quilt longarmed by the talented frank palmer, of orlando, florida. he used three shades of neon thread to quilt the quilt: pink, green and yellow.
in a previous post i was blathering on about bindings and not always wanting to use them, saying it depended on the quilt. this is one i felt needed a binding, and i envisioned using one as soon as i decided to put the red square of vintage fabric in the dead center of the quilt. the binding matches that red square...in my mind, there's a relationship between the center and the binding and it makes absolute perfect sense because it ties everything together.