A Very Long Conversation

I've been picking away on this little quilt since A2MQG's retreat so many months ago.  This project is a wedding present (there have been many weddings amongst my friends lately!) I do tend to make wedding presents AFTER the wedding, which is perhaps a not something Miss Manners would like, but I like to consult with people a bit to make sure I'm not going to make something they won't like or use. 

I was originally planning on buying this particular couple a gift, as I am behind on promised quilts (Elle was married a year ago in August and I have the sketch, but no progress)  (there are others).  But, what I ordered was back-ordered, and when my mom and I arrived at the wedding, there were all these hand-made pennants everywhere.

This is the groom (one of my favorite people on earth), me, and my mom.  This picture doesn't even being to capture the amount of pennants there were at this wedding.  There were hundreds and hundreds.  So. Many. Pennants.

At some point in the evening, I asked what was happening to the pennants next.  And there was nothing planned.  And so I said, 'send a few to me and I will make something from the fabric for you.'  And so, this summer, as I roamed the United States and Canada, I had in my car a box of pennants.


I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them.  I thought at first that I might do a quilt like this one by Krista (Spotted Stone Studio)


Her quilt is based on one by Ingrid Press, which I also love.  (see it here)

But, that quilt is rather more block-based than is my style.  Also, I really didn't have my own spin that I want to put on it, I just found it pretty and suitable. And I like to push myself, so I waited for further inspiration to hit.  And then, one day, I saw this:
From what I gather, this is some sort of film by Rivane Neuenschwander.  I saw the still image and it got me thinking about conversation bubbles as a shape.  Specifically, a shape that would be fun to make with patchwork.

The groom is one of those people that never stops talking.  It's usually about rather fascinating things like the Enlightenment or punk rock or Adorno, however the amount of words he says a day is astounding and a subject of much teasing.  I don't know the bride that well, but I do know that she also teases him about the incessant talking.  : )

Additionally, I thought that thinking of a marriage as a long conversation was a sweet idea.  So, a quilt of conversational bubbles seemed hilarious and sweet and multiple levels.  Also, it worked with the size and shape of the pennant fabrics I had in my little box.

One of the pairs of bubbles here is their wedding vows.  I drew this up in photoshop, pulling the colors from Lizzy House's fox fabric.  I then had it printed at Spoonflower.





 Right now, the quilt looks like this...


Actually, wait...it now looks like this:

I was working on my conversation bubbles when I was on the quilt retreat and people encouraged me to make a tutorial; which I will do soon.  Stay tuned.