This became one of those sits on the shelf quilts, no doubt the colors were posing a problem for me to work on the quilt. These really weren't my colors but my sister would probably like the sort of earthy tone. I would work on it for a while until another more interesting project would come along. I was working on the last blocks of the quilt in 2001 with the intention of giving the quilt to my sister.
You see, Julie was a troubled soul with significant emotional issues and was always wound-up about other peoples' problems. At the time she was living in New Orleans and read tarot cards for the tourist on Jackson Square. Personal possessions and a grasp on reality were often hard for her to hold on to. Alcohol was her preferred escape. Then 9/11 happened and Julie was lost at the bottom in a despair that was more than her liver could handle.
By mid October she was dead and the finished quilt top went to the back of the shelf where it sat until 2005.
By 2005 I had started machine quilting my own quilts and was looking for finished tops to work on and there it was. Enough time had passed that I could spend time with the quilt. I realized that what I should do is complete the quilt and donate it to a woman's shelter in the hope that Julie's story would help someone else. I had the quilt bound and ready in late 2005 but somehow never got it donated.
Last week my sons were in town for the wedding of Steve's nephew. During their visit Brian was using this quilt as a "TV quilt". I hadn't seen it in a couple of years. The following day, Brian and I were out driving around the city and stopped by the family cemetery which brought Julie back to mind.
It is time to close this chapter. Document the story and donate the quilt - which I will do tomorrow. Thank you for reading about Julie.
No comments:
Post a Comment