Unlike a lot of my other quilts, Finding the Way to My Heart has not been photographed in multiple locations. I'm not quite sure why that is, because it holds a special place in my heart, and thus the name.
So while photographs are relatively few, there definitely is a back story to this quilt.
I have long been a fan of Kelly Liddle of @jeliquilts. I had also wanted to make a two-color quilt for a long time. The thing about two-color quilts, for me there is a high boredom factor. I think I could do it if I chose a scrappy version because the variety of prints would keep me interested. In this case, because I wanted to use solid red, I needed to have a variety of block styles.
I do not profess to be a pattern writer. I don't know how to use pattern-designing programs like EQ8. Most of the time I get out a sheet of graph paper and my colored pencils. However, in this case...I had an idea in my head and this was the only "pattern" I followed.
It followed the arrows to the right, went round and round here,
and here it dropped down to the middle row
and went through the round mazes toward the left.
Oops. Going in the wrong direction.
Then it dropped down to the bottom row and followed the arrows to the right, up and around the heart, dropping out of the bottom in the lower right-hand corner. I don't even know if it makes any sense if you read that, but it made sense to me at the time.
I had to modify most of Kelly's blocks a little bit, and did so with her permission. Sometimes I used only part of a particular pattern, and sometimes I had to change the direction. My goal was to get it completed in time to enter it into QuiltCon 2019 in the Two-Color Quilt category.
My friend, Carrie Hanson of @gotchacoveredquilting, had agreed to do the custom quilting. She had just received the quilt when I received the news that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer, in November 2018. After giving the news to my family, Carrie was one of the first people I contacted. The reason? She is a breast cancer survivor herself. She knew exactly the range of emotions I was going through. We both firmly believe that she had the quilt in her hands at the time I was diagnosed for a reason. She quilted so much love into this quilt. I still feel her care and concern each time I hold it.
And what a beautiful job she did! It was like she could read my mind. Because there was so much negative space, she was able to add a lot of "ghost" triangles.
When I finally decided to go ahead with the calendar, I knew this red and white quilt was destined for July. Friends Brian and Sandy Cetti own a beautiful classic Shelby Cobra Replica, and the quilt and the car seemed made for one another.
It was so much fun photographing this quilt. We also had the cutest photo bomber.
Wondering if it was accepted into QuiltCon? No, it was not. And it also was not accepted into another quilt show I entered. But that's okay. That does not diminish at all how special this quilt is to me.
However, it was accepted into Best of the Valley 2019 and received a Third Place ribbon.
Quilt Name: Finding the Way to My Heart
Designed by: Cindy Wiens (using modified patterns by Kelly Liddle of @jeliquilts)
Size: 60" x 60"
Quilted by: Carrie Hanson
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