Merry's Square

Day 341: Today, I will be installing Merry's square in the quilt, his "signature" (if you will) for all the help he's giving me in constructing it. Tippy and Skunk each appeared in several cat-themed quilts over the years, or at least in representations which looked somewhat like them. The Russian Blue on this print looks very much more like Merry, right down to the thoughtful "You're making this one for me, aren't you?" expression. Of course, finding this square will be one of the "Quilt Game" challenges when it's completed. It's one of a kind, like the black-and-white wedge in my great-grandmother's "Double Wedding Ring" which I could never mate up with another piece. There will be lots of "Quilt Game" puzzles in this one, like "Are any two 9-patch blocks identical?" and "How many times was this print used in the center of a 9-patch?" Some of the puzzles have been deliberately composed; others are random, and up to the imagination. My quilts aren't just for keeping you warm! They're meant to provide intellectual stimulation as well.

Supervisory Approval

Day 210: This is not the photo I envisioned for celebrating the halfway point on the hexagon quilt, but keeping Merry off it long enough to focus the camera was proving to be an impossible task. It's nice to know my supervisor approves of my handwork. Yes, the quilt is half-assembled, and even better, the rest of the hexagons are already made. I've been producing them in twos: one to stitch in, and a matching one (or occasional singleton) to randomize in the second half. Some are not quite identical, but pairs of centers will have been cut from the same cloth for the most part, but it wouldn't be a Crow quilt without those few oddments which occur only once. That's what makes the Quilt Game fun: searching for the ones which don't have a counterpart, or seeking out where a matching piece occurs. Some centers have been used for backs as well, adding another challenge. Sewing the remainder together will go quickly. I have a Grand Plan for another similar quilt, using some pairs, some "reflections" (i.e., fabric A center and backing B paired with fabric B center paired with backing A), and then of course the singletons which are the highlight of the Quilt Game. I'm looking forward to starting it when this one is complete.

Quick, As Quilts Go

Day 177: When I began this project on March 23, my goal was to create an entirely hand-stitched quilt with a maximum of 230 hexagons. "If I do one a day," I told myself, "I can be done in under a year. Maybe I'll even make two occasionally." Yesterday, I created an astonishing record of EIGHT, and there has not been a single day when I have made less than two. At this rate, this will be the quickest I have ever finished a quilt, and the only thing which might hold that up is a shortage of fabrics. By default, there are a lot of cats in this one because I've made three in the last couple of years which were all cats, just cats, nothing but cats, but this one also includes sheep, birds, wildlife, flowers, leaves, mushrooms, bugs, fruits and vegetables, tractors, and assorted farm animals. While not exactly a "crazy quilt" (which, after all, is randomly shaped pieces), there is enough here to keep anyone amused playing the Quilt Game, searching for matching pieces, singletons, sequences and even hidden word-play (e.g., an owl with a cat-themed border would be "The Owl and the Pussycat," which I've included in several quilts). The Quilt Game is only limited by your own imagination! At this juncture, I have 68 of 230 hexagons completed. Duplicates will go in the second half of the quilt.