Because I have just turned 50 (oops), I selected 50 hexagons to use in my piece.
Originally, this was how I intended to lay them out. I spent a long time trying to arrange 50 pieces symmetrically, but I now know that that was impossible.
This is what I came up with. I had a piece of satin with painted fusible on one side and a torn edge in the middle ready to do a landscape and I arranged the hexagons along the changeover between the two blues. I wanted some little escapes to represent where my life is going and where it has been.
Of course, when I got down to piecing the hexagons, I came up on the same problem I have always had and that is that they are not all the same size, so instead of piecing them, I covered them with bridal tulle and sewed around them with my favourite god thread from the recycle depot.
You can see here the gold thread and how they don't all line up, but I just went with it. I extended the lines beyond the hexagons to represent all the futures that might be.
Even my stitching wasn't perfect, but I went with that, too, as it went with the imperfect arrangement.
These fabrics are remnants of my past, they include fabric from my softball uniform, my school uniform, my favourite dress (that was when I WORE dresses, lol), the dresses my sister and I wore to my older sister's wedding, my first sewing assignment at school, my staggers jeans, my hessian bag I took everywhere and lots more. I left the basting and papers in, too because they were full of history and meaning. Originally, I intended to put a pin in each hexagon. The pins were collected in my travelling days and are from all over the country, but I decided that was a bit too much.
This is a bit different from the type of thing I usually do, but finally I have done something with my oldest UFO!
what a fabulous piece - so full of meaning and memories! I like the quilting, and how you overcame the odd sizes. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThis is really special Vicki! Such a wonderful memory piece .... and now I'm trying to guess which is your old school uniform?!
ReplyDeleteWell, good for you! I recently met a lady who started one when she was 15 and is just finishing it at 53 . It's amazing!
ReplyDeleteWhat an ingenious way of saving your memories. The setting of your "hexies" invites me to come in for a closer look. Wonderful piece.
ReplyDeleteA fun way to put remnants to good use and to preserve memories of days times past. It works for me!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I do not have much left from my teens and so it is neat to see what you have and how you incorporated it.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I like the 'incompleteness' of the hexagons.- and congrats on using a UFO that old!
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