Monday, September 5, 2011

Pip Pip Cheerio: A Quilt Story


It was a chilly autumn afternoon. The sky was gray, and the wind could give you a shiver. Mixed in with the falling, swirling leaves was a distinct feeling that snow would soon be in the air. Being inexplicably drawn outside on such a day, the little girl put on her warm coat and whistled for her dog. The other children must have been feeling just as she did, as soon enough a small group of boys and girls commenced playing in the brisk outdoors. They pulled out their scooters for one last ride for the season, their colorful scarves trailing behind them.


They played fetch with the dog, giggling as  he fell over himself trying to catch up to his ball.


And they pumped their little legs to see just how high a tree swing can be swung:


As the day wore on and the light became soft and purple with the ending of the day, the little girl said goodbye to her friends and went home to a warm house, a hot meal, and some cocoa. Before snuggling under the covers for the night, the little girl thought to herself "I had such a wonderful day I want to remember it forever." And so she made a quilt. The end.


I am sitting here, snuggled under my Sherbet Pips quilt and loving it completely. It is very far from perfect - I eyeballed my gridded quilting instead of using tape or chalk, and it does indeed look as though a child were learning to sew a straight line. I put a soft fleece binding on it that is a bit crooked in the back and did not shrink with the rest of the quilt when I washed/dried it and so is a bit ripply around the edges. But the feelings that the fabric stirs within me makes this quilt absolutely perfect in my eyes - every pucker, every unintentional pleat, every crooked line adds to its charm and makes me want to carry it around with me everywhere.


 The soft yet vibrant colors, the playful yet pretty prints, all remind me of something in my childhood that I can't pinpoint. It stirs a large amount of nostalgia within my heart, and makes me think of those carefree days of doing whatever you wanted and being tucked in snug at night with a good night kiss from your mumsy. Perhaps that's what the designer (Aneela Hoey) intended, as she has modeled her prints after her daughters at play. I have never, ever felt about a fabric line the way I do about this one. I have fallen in love with certain collections (like Bliss) but I have never felt that I needed to own one for fear of a broken heart.


The colors blend so perfectly together, and have given me a profound appreciation for the perfect shade of gray--the gray of a late autumn sky that chills fingers and makes you long for a cozy sofa and a book.


I hope your holiday weekend (in the US) was delightful, and that the return to work/school tomorrow isn't too painful. For everyone else - well, I guess you've got a head start on the rest of us.


I'm linking up here this week:


15 comments:

  1. I love swings. In Singapore, it's extremely hard to find playgrounds with swings. If I see one, I'll swing on it for a while embarrassing my kids. I like the pastels on this fabric. The quilt looks comfy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this fabric.. I so want your quilt!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ohhhh, such yumminess!! And if that is you eyeballing your gridwork, then I am quite jealous!!! Looks terrific, and oh so cozy!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have no words!!! It's just wonderful!! I wish you many many cozy afternoons with hot chocolate and books!!! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thats soooo lovely. Im just about to start making a pips quilt. Have loved that fabric every since it came on sale. Im sure mine wont look anywhere near as good as yours. Its gorgeous!! x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful quilt and lol at the story. I've grown very attached to my 2 precious pieces of this, and yet I know that if I go looking for enough to make a quilt I'll probably be disappointed, so I'm not setting my heart on a quilt out of this. Yet...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh oh, I wanna live there! In your quilt!
    Also, these quilting projects make me wish that I don't live in a tropical country. Quilts are as useless here as Ugg boots.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the fabrics you used! So pretty!

    Thanks for linking to the Creating Success Around the World Blog hop!

    I'm also hosting a giveaway on my blog for a My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software. You might be interested:

    http://ofpinksandfairytales.blogspot.com/2011/09/giveaway-my-memories-suite.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Haha Meream, same here, but this doesn't make them less popular. It's strange what people are willing to do to their feet during the summer, just to stay trendy.

    ___
    call Bangladesh

    ReplyDelete
  10. So cute! I love all the fabrics you used in this quilt!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your quilt is lovely. The story and meaning for you behind it even more. Well done, and enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This wonderful post totally rocked the blog party's success! Thanks for linking up at Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a lovely story and a lovely quilt. Those colors are perfection...they just whisper "cozy."

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love this! I also love the fabric!

    Thanks so much for linking up to Tuesday Talent Show! I would love to have you stop by and link up again with more great projects!
    -Nikki
    http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...