I am a curvy woman

 

Fighting 36-24-36

9" x 9"  February 5, 2023, for Project Quilting: "54-40 or fight" challenge 14.3

hand embroidered, machine quilted

This week's challenge is to interpret this traditional block as explained in this post by Trish Frankland and Kim Lapacek   This is a basic 54-40 or fight block:

I was inspired by the concept of fighting against numbers and know that I've been fighting against the ideal female hourglass form for many years. Even when I was younger I didn't think I had the 'right' shape, and lament now, looking back at photos from those years, that I didn't have good body image.  (oy, what was I thinking?)

So here I am, well past 'middle aged', a woman with an AARP card, and recently struggled with dating again after a long marriage.  My youthful body spent. 

So I'm taking up arms, figuratively, against the tyranny of numbers that we cannot achieve.  I'll never be those measurements again, I'll never weigh those numbers again, I'll never be that age again.  I. am. a. curvy. woman. 

peace, 

Paula 

ps - I'm happy to report I've found a partner who embraces, literally, ALL my curves. 

Pink Tax

Pink Tax

8" x 5", January 21, 2023, for Project Quilting: "Pink Tint" challenge 14.2

machine stitched 'shirt fronts, hand embroidered price tags, tiny buttons, machine quilted

This is my response to the Project Quilting prompt: Pink:  The Pink Tax - "an adorable name for an insidious practice" - is the concept that some items are more expensive when they are gendered for women, such as shampoo, clothing, laundry services, toys. 

I created the front placket for the two halves, then stitched down the 3 pastel tiny buttons in pink and blue.

I found prices for a man's pink shirt and also a woman's pink shirt on a department store website, then embroidered the different prices on tags, and attached them to the tiny buttons, such as you might find on a real shirt. 

The machine quilting says:  "why is this shirt less than this shirt?  Pink Tax" - done with a variegated pink thread. 

The Pink Tax does not speak to all the items of toiletries and clothing which women purchase and men don't 'need' - that's a whole other problem.  This is a quantitative comparison of like to like products, which are more expensive when female gendered.  There are many shampoos and soaps that are packaged for women, and more expensive.  Blue jeans are more expensive in women's sizes.  But perhaps the most obvious is a dry cleaning or laundry service that charges more for women's shirts over men's shirts.  

Here are a few articles on the Pink Tax for further reasearch: 

7 Weird Examples Of How Women Pay More Than Men For The Same Products | HuffPost 

The Pink Tax: How Women Pay More for Pink | Bankrate

There’s A Pink Tax On Women (forbes.com)

I don't need pink calculators or disposable razors.  You'll find neutral colored items in my shopping cart. 

Peace

Paula 

 

Keep Abortion Legal

 

Keep Abortion Legal

6" square, January 6, 2023, for Project Quilting: The First One challenge

hand embroidered; machine quilted

This small piece is my response to the prompt: The First One, at this time following the overturning of Roe V. Wade by the super conservative Supreme Court.   It's my acknowledgement of my FIRST abortion; yes, I've had more than one.   Abortion was not illegal at the time, and should not be illegal now.  Legal abortion recognizes a woman's right to bodily autonomy.  For too long, we've been shamed into keeping quiet about abortion, about menstruation, about all manner of female bodily functions. 

This small section of quilting shows where the small mass of growing cells may have been attached to the wall of my uterus. 

This image shows the two color embroidery technique I have been developing over the years, where I color block the background, then embroider a line drawing over this shape. 

Keep abortion legal to allow women full bodily autonomy.  The number of abortions I've had is nobody's business but my own.  I've also carried some pregnancies to term.  That number is also nobody's business. 

Here's a good essay by a woman who writes honestly and eloquently about having more than one abortion, she speaks to the societal stigma:  "I've had three abortions"  

Minding my own business, 

Peace, 

Paula 

  

Hello Levi

 

"Hello Levi" - made for my sweet grandson born in February 2022

When darling Levi was born, Sam told me an amazing story about his birth, arriving at sunrise.  Welcome to the world sweet boy: 

That story gave me the idea to include a sunrise in his first quilt.  Yes, a child with a quilting grandma will have more than one quilt!  

I used a quarter circle pattern from "New York Beauties and Flying Geese" by Carl Hentsch to start the sunrise

and layout idea and letters from "Quilt Talk" by Sam Hunter.

This really speaks to having a well stocked craft space, with tools you know and can draw on as you need them. 

After paper piecing the first sunrise block, I drafted 4 other blocks to extend the sun ray lines.

With the center done, I wanted it a bit larger, So I created these wonky stars.   Here I was testing whether they would look ok. 

My son works in space science, so a star theme is appropriate. 

Also, I'm very happy with the way the sun rays look like one giant block, instead of the 4 it really is. This was accomplished by matching fabric across seams. 

 

Then I created the letters from Sam Hunter's book, pieced it all together and quilted it. 

The sun rays are quilted all the way through the stars, to the outer edge.  Then I overlayed large handwriting quilting over the pieced printed letters. 

And finally, a hand embroidered label to my darling Levi from Nana who loves him more than all the stars:

From start to finish, this was created in about 10 days.  (and I work full time ;-) 

Here I am, meeting my grandson for the first time.  💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

Oh handsome boy.  I can hardly wait to see you again.  

I look forward to creating more quilts for you and maybe even with you! 

Mini-neighborhood of Love

 

"Mini-neighborhood of Love for Paula"  2021,  47" x 58"

Made for me by:  Kimberly Rolzhausen, Adva Price, Sam Hunter, Jean Necheles, Mary Beth Shimkus, Melissa Kirk, Megan Null, Barbara Montejo, Alice Ridge,
Kim Lapacek, Flaun Cline, Chelley Black

My friends secretly banded together and made this wonderful sampler of houses for me.  I love looking at the detail in each block, and I can feel the love from each person involved.   

Here are some close-up pictures:

I can tell just by looking at them who made these!

 

This group of quilting friends came together about 10 years ago, and we have made many quilts together to support each other.  However we have not been very active in a while, and honestly, I didn't think they would come together for me. 

I enjoy very small paper piecing,  so my friends were told to make small houses. 

The variety is inspiring! 

Then Adva picked some background fabric and 'improv-style' pieced the top together. 

Kimberly quilted it with some very colorful variegated thread. 

That pieced binding by Flaun is just perfect! 

I'm so overwhelmed by this gift. 

Here it is in its new home: 

I moved to a new apartment in March 2021 because I found out my husband is in a relationship with another woman.  35 years and he choses not to 'work it out'.  I've been vague about this on social media until this post.   This is not a happy time for me, in fact I'm devastated,  but I'm putting one foot in front of another and have managed to land in a lovely apartment with a balcony.  I have the incredible support of my children and so many cousins and friends.  

This quilt encourages me to see how much love I can have in my new home. 

Thank you friends 

Maybe not so crazy

Maybe not so Crazy

6" square,  March 7 2021 for Project Quilting: Crazy Quilt challenge

machine pieced, hand embroidered

a very controlled crazy quilt,  unique in its use of 'background' on the outer squares to float colorful pieces, improve style. 

I've come up against the deadline for this challenge, so I'll post this.  However this needs more hand embroidery, which I will add in the next few days. 

This is all wishful thinking - as my life is truly crazy right now. 

Peace, 

Paula 

 

Spinning Out of Control

 

"Spinning out of control" - fused applique, machine quilted.  6.5x6.5" 

Created for Project Quilting "Snail's Trail" challenge

The weekly challenge is to use or be inspired by the 

traditional quilt block: "Snail's Trail" - here is a possible layout of 4 blocks by Quilts by Jen: 

The block is made up of a 4-patch surrounded by increasing size triangles. 

I knew that this was not the week to make such a controlled project,  so I colored in a pattern: 

Then cut apart the paper pieces and glued them down in a spiral-type shape, so I could determine if the general spiral was till apparent: 

I intended to paper-piece this in this arrangement,  but the angles were all over the place and I simply didn't have the bandwidth for it. 

Then, because I wanted to use the Steam-a-Seam product sparingly, i arranged all the pieces of the same color Tangram-style to see how much I had to cut.  Look how tight these pieces fit together.  Now I see other arrangements too. 

After cutting the shapes out of fabric, I placed the pieces.  I had intended to stay within the postcard size (4X6")  so the light gray center was cut close to that size.  However this wanted to expand,  which is why there is a different grey behind it. 

Finally, I ironed this all down and quilted with a variegated thread.  

If I was doing this again, I would let these spin out more by arranging the triangles in more extreme angles because I think the color keeps the spiral-shape.  But then I would be more careful with value also, so there would be two light value and two dark value choices. 

This week, my personal life is spinning out of control.  I'll quote feminist theory here and claim that "the personal is political", in that women's personal experiences  "can be traced to one’s location within a system of power relationships."  I'm a strong woman and bristle at the victim-ness of that statement, but I may come to understand this situation in that light.  

I'll be ok. 

You'll be ok too. 

Peace, 

Paula