A Bear And A Blanket

I am revisiting a blog post from August last year, The Poppy Gathering, to complete and chronicle the evolution of a miniature patchwork quilt.  I wanted to try and capture the rustic charm and country style of handmade traditional patchwork, which would suit my rather folkie bears I thought.

  

I love using mixed media in crafts and art, it adds an extra dimension of interest as well as introducing different textures to the finished piece; and for me personally provides an exciting alternative visually and creatively to yet more knitting. 

As scale is an important aspect of miniature work I decided to make up a few swatches to establish what size patch would be most applicable for my project.  I let aesthetics do the talking; my decision is always based on beauty and balance not rigid adherence to a specific scale.  I simply wanted a little quilt for the bear to nestle within and not to overwhelm him.

I have chosen a construction technique that I grew up with, English paper piecing, I truly believe that with something this small there really isn't a better alternative for accuracy and success; although the downside is it's rather time consuming and painful on the eyes.

I have at my disposal a large cache of fabric that I've amassed over the years, housing an array of colours and designs, ironic really as these bite sized patches are no more than one centimetre square. 

Historically the patchwork quilt was often considered a utilitarian item especially following the world wars when fabric was scarce.  Adopting the make do and mend attitude of our previous generations ensured that families were kept warm in the colder months; as the old proverb goes necessity is the mother of invention.

With an ever watchful eye on fabric randomness and an equal distribution of stronger shades throughout, I was attempting to proffer the traditional impression of using just what I had to hand; anyone would think that this mini quilt was contrived.  However, I was rather excited at the vintage, shabby chic appearance that was beginning to emerge. 

This is where I left it last year and with the top complete I was already in some doubt as to its function. 

At this point I would like to consider the definition of a quilt or blanket, keep the faith all will become clear. 

 According to my dictionary a blanket is a covering of woven material used primarily for warmth.  I would like add to that definition that a degree of softness is a prerequisite for drape in order to function as a blanket.  

Although the little quilt maybe pleasing to the eye, soft, sumptuous and cuddly it is not; in fact mine is more carpet than blanket similar definition though.

All those little stitches, seams and additional quilt layers have produced quite a rigid fabric.  I mean this baby has gravity defying properties and can hold its shape in space indefinitely; I have to say some of my family struggle to achieve that.

It is well documented that hand sewn, English paper-pieced patchwork has a reputation for being somewhat fragile, I would like to dispute that I have the evidence after all.

Valuable lessons have been learned and now shared, thanks for reading.

Till next time.