Above is the second and last quilt I made. I completed it about six years ago while pregnant with Aidan, though it had been in the works for several years. This was my first repurposing project - the quilt is made from George's old boxers and backed with one of his old chambray sheets. We call it the underwear blanket. Yes, it may be gross, but I loved each and every one of those pairs of boxers, especially the blue and white pinstripes. When the boxers ripped beyond repair, I cut them apart and kept what wasn't threadbare. It took me quite a while to save up enough remnants to make this quilt.
The underwear blanket is holding up remarkably well considering its origins, but my not so little boy is outgrowing his first quilt. It may soon be hung on his wall for posterity (and a conversation piece: "Hey, have you seen the quilt my crazy mom made from my dad's old boxers?"). I have in mind a new quilt for Aidan's room, pieced from the remnants of the men's dress shirts I used to make my aprons. Lots of stripes and plaids in shades of red and blue, a little bit of green and orange. I just don't know what pattern the quilt should be. Any suggestions from my fellow quilters? Keep in mind I'm a quilting novice with limited experience.
So there it is - another post, another piece of me, stitched in place. Thank you for stopping by and being part of my little virtual quilting bee. You make my quilt more interesting.
oh, molly, i quit my blog every week too.
ReplyDeletei love the underwear blanket. i may have to start saving boxer for that purpose. perfect!
Oh my! I might have to move all my men to boxers, just so that I can make an underwear quilt!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your pieces, don't you dare quit now!
nice metaphor!
ReplyDeleteaw. A quilt out of boxers. Love that.
ReplyDeleteI quit mine once a week too. Don't we all?
Don't quit blogging. Just be a slacker like me! I deleted my blog a few years ago -- but it called me back and I remade one, a mediocre one, but whatever. We enjoy reading your blog!!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have always loved that quilt you made for Aiden. It's special.
I remember when you told me you were going to make a quilt out of G's boxers. So proud that you finished it and it looks really cool.
ReplyDeletePS Keep up the blog when the mood strikes. Those are the best.
What a lovely post! And of course the underwear quilt is so excellent!!!
ReplyDeletei don't think it's gross at all - i love the idea. :^)
ReplyDeletei have saved the boys' cotton dress shirts from weddings and other fancy events they've gone to since they were three; i'm planning to make a baby quilt for each of them - to save for their future children! :^) since the shirts have hardly been worn (we attend an average of one fancy event per year ;^) the fabric still has a lot of life in it!
i know just what you are saying about quitting each week, too. ;^)
xoxo
What a beautiful metaphor. I think that you would really like Janisse Ray's memoir, "Wild Card Quilt". So good, and your writing is similar.
ReplyDeleteIf you stop blogging then I am afraid that too many of us will have to track you down for our Molly fix, which could be very frightening for you. But breaks from blogging are good. We'd be around still when you came back.
I have considered you a "quilting partner" (in that I read your blog, and interact with what I read) now for a few months - I love to check in and see what is happening in your world - we're strangers to each other, but sometimes you write something that makes me go - ooo, yes, or, ooo, creepy, is she in my head? or hmmm, I need to think about that, too... sew or don't, write or don't, but I vote please do...
ReplyDeleteScrap quilts are the best ones. It's more logical than buying a big piece of fabric, cutting it up and sewing it back together.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I love my son's boxer prints, but I never thought to snip pieces from the outgrown ones.
ReplyDeleteOh, that quilt is so lovely!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm with you on the quitting. Almost after every post, i think I'll never have another thing to say...and then tomorrow surprises me with something else.
great. such a great post.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to figure out ways to repurpose our old clothes. This is a good idea. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI think many of us decide we're done blogging on a regular basis - it takes up a lot of time, sometimes responses to things we say can be frustrating or hurtful, there's so much more life to live off of the computer ... but, like you, I've found something of myself here, and that's why I keep doing it ;). I love your quilt metaphor, and if I'm the seam-reinforcer, I like that too ;).
As for quilt designs, we studied the Underground Railroad recently, and "made" NorthStar quilts out of construction paper. It was very easy, and looked really awesome. I know we're coming out of Black History Month, but it's a great design, very easy, and has a little bit of interesting history behind it :).
i was about to quit mine and didn't.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post. Beautiful picture. Beautiful quilt. I'm so glad you keep coming back to share some of your pieces with us.
ReplyDelete