I always say it better to have a lot of clothes or fabric to choose from when making a quilt rather than not enough. But the box of clothes that Kimberly sent me had so much in it, it was a bit daunting at first. My idea in the beginning was to use a small piece of fabric from each piece of clothing. It didn’t last long, but it got me started. Where to begin? With one small piece of fabric. I chose the tiny blue palm tree and crescent moon that I cut from a brown t-shirt. I chose it because I saw that blue in a lot of the other clothes and because I liked it. The snow flake came next, and then, I couldn’t even guess what happened after that.
But when I got as far as the picture above, I stopped, and stepped back, and looked, and liked what I saw.
Then something really unusual happened. I found a shirt with a design on it that seemed mystical to me. I knew the front and back of this shirt had to have its own space. I cut up the one pair of jeans to frame them and put them off each corner of the piece in the middle. I moved pretty quickly after that, filling in the spaces.
And as I worked the mystical feeling of the quilt grew. It pulled me along. The quilt began to feel like a temple to me. I see now, it has something of a mosaic feeling to it, but at the time, I kept thinking of the body as a temple. And I realized that this is just what Kimberly meant when she wrote me that she decided to lose weight for her health. She liked herself enough to understand that it’s her body that houses herself. And a way to honor herself and keep herself happy and healthy, is to keep her body healthy. The power of this idea grew as the pieces of the quilt fell into place. 
And when I finished designing it, I thought it worthy of covering and comforting that temple that is the body.
Hi Maria, this may be a dumb question, but once you have a quilt laid out on the floor, how do you go about sewing it? This quilt is beautiful, by the way.
What I do Mitzi, is I usually start in the middle and just start sewing pieces together. I then make blocks of sewn pieces and sew them together. Sometimes it gets confusing because I don’t always lay out the pattern in a way where the pieces can be sewn together and I have to make minor adjustments.
I love it when you take us along with you while you create. These trips always soothe the soul. What could be more positive and amazing? Thanks so much for this. This has let me forget some sad news I got today and be with you while you created this quilt. See, another lesson for me in letting go and acceptance. If it’s Kimberly or another they will surely feel the comfort and security of this quilt.
Cindy
Amazing ! 🙂
Maria, I just love the colors on this quilt.
Maria, I loved the story of this quilt, and the sentiment behind it. I know the quilt will be beautiful (it already is, even unfinished), and I am know Kimberly will love it.
Maria, I love how it flows. It moves around but always brings one back to “center”. Thank you for sharing the creative experience with all of us. :):)
I love seeing the progression of your ideas, and I really envy your large, empty, shiny floor – perfect for laying out something like this. Can’t wait to see this quilt coming along.
Maria, this is wonderful, and thank you so much for sharing both your and Kim’s spiritual evolution with this piece. Your process is such a freefall form, and yet, it is so obvious that your spirit plays a huge role in each creation that issues from your studio.
Maria, this quilt is truly beautiful. Kim is going to love using it and all the thought and love that went into creating it will keep her warm. What an affirmation of her weight loss to turn all those too big clothes into something beautiful to remind her of her success.
Nicely said Candy.
Maria, you are such a positive force. When I need a lift in my afternoon, I will dip into your website, and you always offer something that lights my soul. I feel the creative part of me stirring, and I will soon start painting again.
When you do Laurel, please share your work with us. I love the idea of being able to help stir creativity.
What a beautiful quilt! And thanks for sharing your creative process with us!
It is looking good, Maria! Beautiful design.
gorgeous! can’t wait to see it when it’s finished 🙂
Wow, what a awesome idea!!!I love it!
If I understand correctly, these were Kim’s old “big” clothes. She must be quite a person as I love her patterns. And now, they are a quilt – I adore this idea. The pattern you have created is truly lovely – the eye skips along the plaids, florals, and patterns.
Maria thank you for taking us on the quilt journey. I love your work . I have two questions. One is how do I post a picture of my sister with your pot holders on your site? I can put it on OGBF, which I will do anyway. And…. How do you price your quilts. I love them so much, base rate, different charges for customizing ? Personally I ” respect the artist” and would go with your choices and ideas. Thanks, love what you create:)
Donna, I’d love to see a photo of your sister and her potholders if you email it to me I’ll post it on my blog. And my quilts range in price from $275-$350 or so depending on the work and size. It’s all so individual, so things I can do and some I can’t or choose not to. So if you email me with an idea we can discuss it and I can let you know more. Thanks
I love reading your blog and seeing how your process goes. Gotta get the box of Dad’s clothes out this weekend and see if I can’t get something going. Thanks!! PS lovely sentiment behind this piece.
If you do get a quilt going Judith, let us know. I’d love to see photos.