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Calmed the Storm Quilt

February 3, 2015

Calm the Storm Web

I know this is a pretty different style than the things I normally post about on this blog, but I just had to show off a little side project I’ve been working on.  Every three years my church hosts an International Art Competition.  They collect inspirational artwork of all types (painting, wood carving, quilting, etc) from all over the world.  I was lucky enough to get a piece accepted into their last show three years ago and attending that opening night full of artists from all over the world was one of my favorite experiences of all time. As soon as I went home, I knew I’d have to try and go at least one more time. 🙂

I can’t believe it’s been three years already!  And at the same time, I can hardly believe I’m actually done with this thing- I’ve been designing it and sewing it for almost the entire 3 years.  I’m so happy to be done.  In fact, I’ve been working on this sucker for so long I don’t even feel like I can even enjoy looking at it until I put it away for 6 months.  I’ve just been staring at it for too long- do you know what I mean?

Calm the Storm Detail Corner Web

This year’s theme is ‘Tell Me the Stories of Jesus’. As soon as I heard it, I knew I wanted to design a quilt around the first bible verse that brought me peace as a girl.  It’s Mark 4:39 and it says,

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

I’ve always loved the idea of a Supreme Being watching out for us and sending us peace during our own, personal storms.  In my adult life, I’ve come to fully realize that life is a bit more complicated than I’d imagined as a kid.  You don’t just say a prayer and have all your worries taken away.  But I do believe that He can help you feel peace and even joy during a struggle, and I wanted to capture that feeling visually.  I made the outside boarder out of dark, complex designs to represent the raging sea.  The center medallion is simple and full of light, showing the hope and peace that can come amidst a storm.

The whole thing is made from different silks and embroidered with real gold thread. (Sounds awesome when you hear it, but sewing with real gold thread is a pain.  If you’re tempted, I’d suggest doing a couching stitch rather than pulling it in and out of your fabric- the gold is very fragile and breaks very easily.)  I sewed it by hand so I’d have something uplifting to work on during the days when I felt too sick to get out of bed.

It was a great experience to push myself into making an heirloom quality piece.   And even better to work on something that I found personally uplifting on days when life wasn’t easy.   I submitted it to the contest today, but won’t hear if I made it in or not for months.  Personally, I feel like I got so much out of making this piece that not matter which way the judging goes, to me it’s already a win.

Calm the Storm Flower Detail Web

Applique, My Life, Quilting, Quilts · 3 Comments

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Comments

  1. Barb says

    February 3, 2015 at 12:55 pm

    WOW, it turned out beautiful. Very different that I imagined it when we were picking out silk fabrics. It had a very heirloom look about it which I like. The colors are rich but calming.

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth says

    March 21, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    This is beautiful! You chose a wonderful verse and represented it in a magnificent way.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      March 21, 2015 at 6:27 pm

      Thanks Elizabeth!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Jessica

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Instagram post 2327252897543629252_417393240 It is finally getting warm here and I'm so excited for long days in sunny fields.
Instagram post 2321314328934193695_417393240 Did you know that ladies during the Regency Era often wore a shawl because the breezy empire waist gowns they wore were a little chilly? ⁣
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I've been having so much fun adding historical details to this project. I love the idea of history seeping into a child's mind through play.⁣
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I know it's just a tiny detail, but I wanted our dolls to have shawls because I keep reading about the huge cultural shift that came with the style we see in Jane Austen's time period.⁣
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In a period of about 15 years we went from Marie Antoinette style gowns with huge, structured skirts, to these breezy gowns that might (gasp!) show your silhouette if a breeze came in.⁣
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To the younger generation they were progressive. Napoleon's wife was the one who made the style popular and because of her influence it symbolized a new way of thinking. (Marie Antoinette's way of thinking was, after all, proven slightly ineffective.) ⁣
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Sure, the dress was a little chilly. But it was a way to leave dated ideas in the past. So they grabbed a shawl and moved forward!⁣
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I know that a shawl on a doll won't automatically teach a kid all that history. But it might give us the opportunity to tell the story as we play, and I want to add as many of those opportunities as I can.
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I love the ease of hot glue, but have always found my glue gun work rather sloppy.⁣
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A while back I talked to my good friend Erin from @thegreyrose about this. She is the closest thing to a Glue Gun Expert there is: She uses a glue gun full time to create her amazing felt floral arrangements. Her work is delicate and skillful, which are words I'd never use to describe my own glue gun efforts.⁣
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Her secret is this amazing detail tipped glue gun. (The Surebonder Detail Tip Glue Gun...Please note, this is NOT an ad. No one is paying me to review this thing. I just genuinely like it and thought I'd share.)⁣
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I bought the exact model she uses for her work and I will never go back! For the first time I feel like my hot gluing can be clean and precise. It's amazing what a difference having the right tool can make.
Instagram post 2318523881759128711_417393240 amen.
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This week we make bonnets and shawls to complete for our Regency bunnies and I can hardly contain my excitement.⁣
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