Friday, May 6, 2011

I Spy Thoughtful, Generous Friends

With Norris' arrival this afternoon came a great, big, very special treat for me! This is the I Spy quilt I talked about last week -


looking even prettier than I imagined or could tell from the photos I saw of it a couple of weeks ago. My fellow Robins took my odd highly original request and gave me exactly what I was hoping for-- and then some. Unlike my previous quilts from the Robin endeavors, it is obvious that this quilt came from people all over the globe. I won't describe all the personal images and meaningful fabrics they included, but each block is a delight, beautifully pieced in gorgeous pale-toned fabrics with a small token or two that stands out like a glittering jewel. I don't think my photos are doing the top justice, but I'll post them.


All the blocks a bit closer - first, the top row, two at a time - you should recognize the Pukeko by now.

The Canadian flag, flying for the homeland of one Robin, will also make this quilt meaningful for Norris.

I was excited to see that my fellow Robins experimented with some non-traditional weaves and fibers. With some pieces of fabric come information about the maker's youth and heritage.


Others include reminders of prior joint projects.

Some of the blocks Dorry made have little nine patches made of the fabrics we used in everyone else's quilt over the last two years, making this a Robin-Memory quilt.


Many of the blocks are symbols of our interests and loves both in quilting and in our lives.


If you're counting, it should be obvious that several members of the 7 person group made more than 1 block. Appropriately, each member of the group signed a square that Dorry used for the setting cornerstones.

And of course, Lu had to show how he, like Mr. Purrsy (whose left eye is visible in the lower right of the photo above), could be part of a quilt. I was able to take the other photos without Lu's assistance only because there was a very active lizard commanding his attention outside the front door.


The quilt, as assembled by Dorry with special attention to the wash of colors, gives me a wonderful canvas for quilting to highlight each individual "I Spy"- it seems like a big responsibility all of a sudden!

2 comments:

Sherrye said...

What a treasure with a lot of history and memories for you. So special!

Heather said...

I am delighted we got to see your finished quilt top 'in the flesh' at Queenstown before Dorry took it back home to you. It will be a wonderful quilt to enhance with your quilting - and I wish I could see the finished quilt one day!