Dilemma Time

After much deliberation I have settled (I think) on a block with width = 3.5 x depth thus 4" x 14" .......... it looked more pleasing to me than other ratios and, being realistic, going any larger might result in a UFO.

On to fabric selection ................. starting with red being that it's sometimes a bit of nightmare where it bleeds so much after dyeing.  The bottom fabrics are "mine" whereas those top right are commercial ones.  Do I overdye or paint some of mine so that they are all my fabrics in the quilt or do I incorporate some commercial ones too ................. I could include a piece of the lovely red silk that mum brought back from India for me?  Then there's the printed fabric with the orange ............ it might be nice to use this as the red block will be next to the orange one?  Maybe I shouldn't be putting restrictions upon myself?

The love affair with textiles started almost as long ago as I can remember (I honestly think I was born to stitch) and being as this is for me, I am going to incorporate some key points.  Without boring anybody with everything, just some of the things I plan to incorporate:

Mum asked me just a couple of years ago if I remembered cutting the flowers out of my frock (yes, the one I was wearing) at infant school?  I didn't recall but the more I think about it there is some vague recollection.  I said that I must have been cutting something up on my lap rather than the table for that to have happened.  She gave me one of them looks and said they were all NEATLY cut out!  There will be some cut back appliqued flowers somewhere in this quilt!

In the first junior class we had a student or supply teacher for a while with whom we made a textile seascape each ............. it was beautiful sea colours and incorporated tulle & felt as I recall.  Somehow this remained at nan's house.  Many times during my married life she asked if I wanted to take it home but I always declined saying it was safe where it was.  When she died nobody found it (I did ask) but there again it may not have been realised that it was anything more than a scrap of something or nothing.  There will be something of this.

There was the small grey felt elephant that I stitched together so there may be an elephant albeit not grey.

At 10 years of age, I cut various crimpelene circles of about 4" diameter and randomly stitched them (very neatly with buttonhole/blanket stitch) on to a short sleeved jumper that I sometimes wore to school (we didn't have to wear uniform then).  The teacher asked if I had done it to cover up holes .................. how dare she suggest that my jumper had holes!   Of course there will be circles of some form.

And, lastly for now, I love the dress (below) mum is wearing at my sister's christening in 1964.  I don't actually remember the dress but I may include a flower something like it.

This project is supposed to be "Me"!  Already mum has cropped up three times but then I wouldn't be who I am if it weren't for her, dad and their ancestors.

More of my journey later ...............