I’ve been thinking a lot about home lately. I tend to be nostalgic and hang onto old objects, memories and friendships.
The home where I grew up and learned printmaking, photography, and how to sew, and met many life-long friends, sits catty-cornered from the high school I attended. Sadly, that school, built in 1938, will be demolished later this year after we celebrate our fortieth high school reunion in it this spring.
My cousin has been helping our aunt sell the home that she shared with our grandma and to disperse the contents. I will treasure having the last quilt grandma made, her cedar chest, and the sketches and drawings my aunt made for a 1930s-era artist correspondence course – some of my quilting and artistic roots.
Now, after almost twenty years in Colorado, my home is back in the college town where I earned my degrees in art, started my career in graphic design, began quilting and met Mr. Wright. For me, all of these recent thoughts of home tie directly into the 2012 Alliance for American Quilts contest theme – Home Is Where the Quilt Is.
This year the quilts will be home shaped. It’s a fun challenge; I’m already playing with ideas for my entry. The quilts are always small; the design and theme parameters are wide; and all of the donated quilts are auctioned to support the terrific work of the AAQ. Here’s my little quilt – Cow 2 Redux– from the 2010, New from Old contest. Photos of all of the quilts from each contest are documented in their online Quilt Index.
Cow 2 Redux made by Kathryn Wagar Wright, 2010
Watch for our Readers Quilt Show in the April/May issue of Quilters Newsletter to see a show of some of the 2011 AAQ Contest Quilts. And visit www.allianceforamericanquilts.org for the contest entry details.
Kath, thanks so much for this beautiful post. Glad you’ll get one more reunion in before the school is demolished. Very sad when schools filled with memories vanish. Maybe we should do a school house challenge some day…
Can’t wait to see your entry this year!
kathryn’s quilt is adorable…love the colorful cows…
When traveling in Europe last year, I thgouht that fabric would be a good souvenir to use in a quilt when returning home. First, it was very hard to find a fabric shop. I found ONE in Florence. Second, a meter of cotton fabric (one meter wide, too) cost 75 Euro yep, $100. So I bought some ceramic plates. In Liverpool, I found some fabric tucked into the back of a department store. The cost was about $30 per yard, and it was Amy Butler prints that I can get in the US for $10. I bought socks for my grand-daughters.I know what a bargain we have and yes, our costs are rising. I agree that we should be good stewards of our resources. One more strategy to get the most from your fabric is to share with other quilters. Trade for colors, participate in your guild’s fabric exchange, find a friend who hates your favorite color and is willing to part with it.