Roses on My Table

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds round my neck," is a quote by Emma Goldman (1869-1940), a Russian-born American activist. I ran across this quote a long time ago and wrote it down, thinking it is one I would never forget...and I never have. At some point in this quiltmaking, embroidering, embellishing, writing, adventure I am involved in, it seems, the idea of using this quote in a quilt popped into my head. Well, popped might be the wrong word. Let's just say the idea presented itself to me in one of those "aha" moments.

I am one of those "what you see is what you get" people and that fact seems to extend into my quiltmaking and embroidering "style." This is a fact I am not proud of as I would love to be one of those carefree, adventurous, devil-may-care types when it comes to my artwork. But, alas, I am not. Since I DO believe you should be true to who you are...I guess we are stuck with me the way I am, so, add in the fact that I tend to be obsessive/compulsive and somewhat anal. It's a curse. But here I am. I don't really try to explain my work, other than I like to make things I feel are "pretty." The work only has to mean something to ME so I don't get into the "what does it mean" or the "why did you do it" questions.

So, here is "Roses on My Table." It's approximately 28" x 31." Let me tell you about the "ingredients." I always get excited about finding what I call the ingredients for my pieces. Remember, I do call myself a hunter/gatherer of these little bits of fabrics, buttons, beads, trims, and assorted found objects. Nothing makes me happier than finding, or being given, the tiniest of little inconsequential things. They may not mean much to other folks, but to me they are priceless!

Let me start with the border. The bottom border is a leftover from some other project...and there was "just enough." The leaf border was actually a double leaf fabric and I cut the design in half to have enough for the four sides of the quilt. The dress and hat were bits of leftovers, the drapes....a really neat plaid...leftovers too. The black lace, which I got out of a bag of scraps bought at the flea market was just right for the drapery trim and wouldn't you know - I had those glass leaf beads for the finishing touch on the drapes. They came from Hobby Lobby, I think.

I had lots of that chiffon and ruffled quite a long piece of it to create the table cloth, then gave the rest to a friend who admired it. I painted fabric for the vase with markers, then appliqued it onto the table. The picture frame is a scrap and the writing is done with a pigma pen on muslin. The roses were appliqued using the needleturn method, as is most of my applique. Then a spiral design was embroidered on each rose to represent the petals.

The hat is embroidered with silk ribbon roses, the bow on the dress is leftover silk ribbon from another project and the bracelet is beaded.

One of the neat things on this quilt....is the butterfly on her shoulder. It was given to me by Elizabeth Ritter of Little Rock.....an excellent tatter and her work, here, is one of those little "bits" that make whatever they are applied to special!

I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but I used an assortment of scrap fabric to make the binding, which for me, is one of the fun touches on this quilt.

The quote, well, I think it's pretty special. The quilt....I don't really know. It was fun to make and I enjoy having it on display every once in a while. What I like most about it is one of my nephews (one of those thirty-something entrepeneurs you think wouldn't even notice something like this quilt) said to me......"Aunt Pat, I just love that quilt...it's so meaningful!!" Well, yes, it is....I WOULD rather have roses on my table.....and a nephew who notices such things!!! Pat