As
soon as the challenge was issued, I designed this quilt in my head.
For many women, including me, food is an issue that is wrought with
contradictions. It is supposed to nourish and comfort us. But what
if we need too much comfort? And food can harm as well as heal.
I knew that food had to be exploding out of the refrigerator: good
food and bad food (I know, there is no bad food only bad binges).
And I knew I wanted my refrigerator to have lips because she speaks
to me--sometimes in my mother's voice, sometimes in my grandmother's.
The lips were the sticking point. How to make them.
Meanwhile,
we began a discussion on list about weekly/monthly journal quilts.
With inspiration from Jeanne Williamson, I began mine with the new
year (2002). During the discussion, Jeanne, whom I didn't even know
was on the list, chimed in. I had wondered how she had done the
small floral quilts that were so simple and lovely. So I asked.
Stitch first, then paint, she replied. That was it. The perfect
answer for my refrigerator lips (Thanks, Jeanne). Once I had that
, the quilt came together quickly with raw edge fused appliqué
cut from novelty fabrics, machine embroidered nags, and quilting
that speaks to the contradictions of food.
What fun!
