Tuesday 2 September 2014

I wish I had met Eleanor Roosevelt



First time I heard of Eleanor Roosevelt was when I was pregnant with my son, Blake.  My doctor was advising that I would likely be having a caesarian with my second child, having had one with my first... dear Alicia (fondly known as Lou to me) had arrived at 10 lbs. 1 1/2 ozs. a few years earlier.  I recall asking him what the dangers were in having a second caesarian.  He simply said, well Eleanor Roosevelt had 4 so I think you should be fine.  I remember thinking... what did Eleanor Roosevelt possibly have to do with me?

Many years later I was reading quotes as I love to do (apparently a trait I shared with my Grandma Jessie) and found a few from Eleanor Roosevelt.  All of them spoke to me.  I had to know more about her and when next at the library I took out a book of her writings as well as a short biography.

Now the next logical step in my mind, after reading so many of her inspiring words, was how to devote an entire quilt to her?  I had already put one short quote in my Cream and Razors but I wanted more.

I decided simple was best, and fastest.  I had some wonderful radish fabric that I had no idea what to do with and it let me know that it had been waiting for Eleanor.  Once I had the top pieced, it gave me a chance to practice my border skills on a small scale, my first intention was to stitch Eleanor's words into the quilt top directly.  I tried this but I was not satisfied by three lines in.  Three lines which I then had to pick out, sometimes I am that fussy.  I finally decided to write the lines in fabric pen, and quilt all around them.

This is how it turned out.  Eleanor hangs in my front hall.  Her words written on my heart.






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