Chapter 3: Edna Hits the Studio

 

Chapter 3: Edna Hits the Studio

Edna sighed as she walked into her studio that cold October morning.  The radiant heat in the floor kept the space from being too cold, but it was obvious when she raised the blinds that she couldn’t expect too much natural light that day.  Well, it was late October, so the grey skies weren’t a big surprise.  Besides, Edna preferred the colder months.  She was cozy inside and didn’t feel guilty about not getting out more often as she did during the summer.

Flipping the light switch, she turned to her worktable.  The day before she’d pulled a selection of Kaffe Fassett prints that she wanted to use for the background of her “show” quilt.  Her plan was do the center as a simple pattern of squares cut from pink and red fabrics.   In her mind she had the idea of creating a floral garden rising out from the center and spreading onto a wider border.

Edna practiced a form of what she called “organic” quilting.  It had nothing to do with being “green” it had more to do with the way her quilts grew.  She’d start off with a concept and then see where her heart and eye would take her.

Like most quilters she’d started out making simple pieced patterns, then graduated to more complicated ones.  While in her twenties she became obsessed with the possibilities of hand appliqué.  What could be created in fabric?   She’d set out to find out.  For years she worked and worked and worked, perfecting her technique and adding embroidery and beads to the mix.  She wasn’t satisfied with the embellishments she could purchase, so she started making her own.  Polymer clay buttons, painted wood, laminated paper, even scrapbooking elements made their way onto her pieces.

Her work was unlike anything anyone else in her guild made.  She actually hadn’t seen many other pieces like hers, even on the internet.  At first she felt foolish when she stitched small twigs and pieces of seashells onto her quilts.  Everything she’d ever been taught screamed against it, and yet, her heart screamed louder for it.  It might have been ”weird” to others, but she knew it was right.  It bothered her more when she resisted these artistic impulses then when she didn’t.

Joe was at first a little confused.  He knew that Edna had a knack for making things look good.  Their little house had been decorated cheerfully and creatively, and he’d noticed her small efforts.  He’d gotten used to the way she “presented” his meals, (his omelet that morning had had a sprinkling of thinly sliced green pepper on top), and appreciated the way she color coded his shirts.  Their son was always dressed well, even on their limited budget, and her own clothes were beautifully sewn by hand.  Edna’s abilities had been recognized by the community.  She designed their church’s weekly fliers, was the newsletter publisher for the PTA, and was the team mom who created her son’s team videos.  In the same way he’d become the go-to man for fixing things, she’d become the go-to woman for making things look good.

It wasn’t until she’d really gotten into quilting that Joe realized she had more than a knack.  In the same way he had his engineering talents, Edna had her artistic ones.  In the beginning she was too bashful to show him what she was working on, assuming, as it turned out correctly, that he wasn’t interested.  It wasn’t until he’d seen her quilt hanging up alongside the others at the guild’s annual show that he realized how good Edna actually was.  He was surprised, but then not really.  He’d always known there was more to her than met the eye, which was why he loved and respected her so much.  This obvious talent proved it.

Unable to decide where to start Edna grabbed her laptop and sat down in her recliner by the window.  She checked her email, dropped by on Facebook, and checked out her favorite quilting blogs.  Unable to resist she opened her fabric “favorites” folder and checked out the clearance sections of her favorite online stores.  She had tons of fabric already, but since she was working on a new project she liked to check out what was available.  She needed something for the border and the backing, and who knows? Maybe a new fabric would get her mind going in a different, but better direction.

Edna only shopped the sales online.  She’d discovered years before that if she waited a little longer she could get the fabrics she wanted for half the price.  Of course, part of the reason for this is that she tended to like fabrics others didn’t so they didn’t sell as well.  She had exceptions to this rule however, not hesitating to pick up fat quarter sets of the newest Westminster designers, or her favorites at FreeSpirit.  Her tastes leaned towards bright, true colors with defined patterns.  She loved ethnic looking prints, (except most Asian ones…the fabrics were beautiful but she didn’t know how to use them, yet), and she collected polka dots and simple patterns.

Edna didn’t look at the fabric sites for long.  She could almost feel the pile of bright pinks and reds on her worktable calling out to her.  Heck, she thought, why look for more fabric when I’ve got such pretty ones just a few feet away, all ready to play!

 Next: Joe Stirs Things Up