This Quilt Makes Me Happy

Not to replace actual therapy, but there are times when the creative act is indeed what we need to move through our feelings.

Pink is a happy colour for me. When I pulled out the sample block that started this quilt - an experiment in a class I was teaching - the colour spoke to me. It was months later and I was in a place where I could start to see happy again. Playing with pink became something I was compelled to do right then! So I started and over the summer came back to this project. For soon it became more than a few blocks and a full fledged intentional quilt.

There were challenges. I ran out of the hand dyed pink but wanted a bigger quilt. No problem, just dye more fabric. Part way through the blocks I realized I grabbed the wrong white fabric at some point. Tear out and redo or forge ahead? I chose to forge ahead and pretend that the whole thing was a choice. On the subject of a bigger quilt I almost went for straight borders. Almost. But that white fabric mix up gave me a creative idea and I created something like a border but with an extended pink design and a continuation of the patchwork of different whites.

I thought a lot about my mental health while making this quilt. I let it frustrate me, then challenge me, then show me joy. I did, indeed, have to feel all those emotions as a therapist would have me do. 

My plan for quilting is a mix of machine and hand quilting. I want to sit with the pink a bit more so am looking forward to the hand quilting in the coming winter months. And if you think this is happy, wait until you see what I chose as the backing!