Crazy Like a Fox, a photo by Jane-Ace on Flickr.
It was crazy to think I could make a quilt in just nine days...the lead time I had before the baby shower, but I didn't know enough about quilting to discourage me. Besides, if I pieced a square a day for nine days, then "all" I would have to do would be to join them somehow, back them with the iron-on batting I had found and back it with fleece.
Besides, the mom-in-waiting would soon be giving birth in a country not her own. I thought someone so brave might just deserve a little something "extra". My husband was also on board with the plan, and helped choose some bright fabrics in the remnant bin at our local craft store, Yuzawaya.
As for instructions, I had a coffee table book that featured various sewing and knitting techniques.
I began by cutting nine 9 inch squares of muslin onto which to sew my random cuts of fabric. Though color seemed primary for this project, I soon began fiddling with the concept of adding applique onto the corner squares.
Initially I thought of a sun, moon, stars. But then I changed to sun, lightning bolt, rainbow, and...and...what? The rainbow made me think of the dove and the flood narrative. So, suddenly I had a concept for the center block. Someone had sent me a pack of 5 inch squares years prior. From that pack I pulled what would be the pieces of the ark.
As each square came together, I was increasingly excited. It really seemed that God was guiding my choices of even the most seemingly random cuts for the shapes. When it was finally pieced, I saw the red cloth with the splashes of fireworks-like colors, as symbolic of the Holy Spirit. I ended up making the outer binding of the pieced squares using bias strips cut from that fabric.
The quilt was completed in time for presentation at the baby shower. Bonus for me was seeing the quilt used for not only her first son, but two others who followed in the years after. And if asked, I could truthfully have said, "I don't really know anything about 'how to quilt'."Crazy, huh?
