This quilt has a history. I have lots of hand-dyed indigo fabric. I learned this technique at Slow Stitching Retreat in Washington, Maine in 2017, hosted by A Gathering of Stitches, and taught by Kim Eichler-Messmer. That fall I hosted guild members at my home, and we dyed fabric. It’s nice to remember those times with those pieces. There are also a few remnants I received from Ana Conceicao, a guild member who works at UFab.
In Summer 2024, I took a hand-quilting class with Heidi Parkes, hosted by the Central Virginia Modern Quilt Guild. I used the middle section of this quilt as my workshop piece. I learned to be more observant about how I use my thimble and my hands. I finished it the week before the election. On Election Day I woke up with the idea to frame it with my indigo-dyed fabric. This was the first time I had used a completed quilt in this way.
I also wanted to manifest a “blue day” for the election. That did not happen, and blue represents sadness but also a community of people who are on the blue side of the mountain with me.
On the blue side of the mountain where the sun don’t ever shine. So deep and dark like a hurtin’ down in my heart. Maybe someday they’ll show me some kind of sign.
As Natalie May says in this piece, I found my people with this guild. I love them, and I’m amazed at how we’ve grown since our first get together ten years ago.
At Heidi Parkes’ scrap quilt workshop, hosted by the Central Virginia Modern Quilt Guild last year, I had a discussion with Lindsey Neal about the fuck quilts at QuiltCon. She believes people are using it to grab jurors’ attention and perhaps it’s time to move on. I had a fat quarter of fuck fabric I made from “what the fuck” block prints I created thanks to Ana Conceicao’s stamping workshop.
Stamping fuck over and over is quite the release. I promised Lindsey I would use the Fuck fabric in my scrap quilt. After I got home, I started adding black scraps. A U and C emerged so I added a K.
It’s interesting that I’ve censored myself with a large black rectangle where the F should be. I feel shame because “good girls” don’t swear. That’s why I used Baptist fans to quilt over the “bad words.” This quilt represents my struggle to be respectable and not give a fuck at the same time.
Wanda's Life Sampler 