Antidote for a Gray, Rainy Day ~

First, there is a beautifully lined "gift bag" with embellished cording and a patch from one of the schools where Lauren spent time in Hong Kong...

Then there is this incredible "shoe bag" ~ exquisite...

Lavender silk from a factory in Beijing... with a back nearly as gorgeous as the front... soft, supple, sublime...

A grouping with another patch, an embellished cell phone pouch, an embroidered "bottle bag" with a wonderful fastener, a ramie patchwork coaster, and a printed placemat with fringed ends...

Closeup of the blue silk from Beijing and it's beautiful reverse side...

And, finally, this marvelous embroidery on creamy silk.

And so, you wonder, what will I do with this marvelous pieces?

First, I plan to carefully unstitch the seams so that I can use as much as possible from each piece.

Then, I will ponder and contemplate to create a unique wallhanging ~ a "journey quilt" ~ as a keepsake for Lauren...

My inspiration for this project comes from the blog Musings of a Textile Itinerant and her traveler's blanket (a "finished" photo is featured in this post and some of her "story" is shared here). Lauren was as captivated with the idea as I was... and so we shall see what comes of this effort. I'm certain my piece will look nothing like Dijanne's ~ I don't want to "copy" ... There will also be considerable inspiration from the incredible work done by Jude and her Spirit Cloth blog...

This will not be a quick project... instead these pieces and I are now part of what shall be a determined, slow cloth effort...

Quiltdivajulie
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"For some time I’ve been beating the drum for more thoughtful and challenging projects in the quilt world. While “quick, fast, easy” has it’s place, I fear that we are dumbing down our quilting universe by encouraging mindless sewing to the exclusion of anything else. Yes, I love the small projects, they are the appetizers of cloth. But nothing will replace the pleasure of working on a project that challenges me, engages me and, when completed, is a source of deep pride." (quoted from the January 2, 2008 post by Beth Ferrier on her blog Pieces of a Quilter's Life) [for those interested in slow cloth, a Google search will lead you to a number of well-written and interesting discussions on the topic]