Finished!

Memories of MirrorA Tribute to the Mirror & District Centennial
July 1912 - July 2012
(C) G. Margaret Blank

With mixed feelings, I hung the freshly-washed quilt up on the wall in my bedroom the better to view it in its entirety.  For almost seven months this quilt has been part of my life -- first in my thoughts, then in e-mail conversations and research, then in fabric purchases, and eventually under the needle, both by hand and machine.

It's approximately 46" wide by 53" long -- not a bed quilt by any means, but a reasonable throw-quilt size.  However, given that the Board of the Mirror & District Museum has decided to keep it in its permanent collection, I installed a 'permanent' hanging sleeve (one sewn right into the top binding), and embellished the side borders with buttons.

Side Border Detail
(C) G. Margaret Blank

These were a whimsical last-minute addition.  While out jogging yesterday morning, I was listening to Sandy's podcast, "Talking Texture with Jay".  One of the items discussed was the use of beads and buttons.  Aha! I thought, just the artistic touch my quilt needs to create interest in the borders, which are fairly simply quilted to echo the corner pinwheel shapes.  As soon as I got home I poured my button box out on my cutting table.  What a blessing to find enough buttons of similar enough shape, colour and size to do both borders!  I think they complement the piece perfectly and create a different form of visual interest.They're not antique buttons, to be sure, but their plainness evokes a simpler place and time, and that works for me.

Tomorrow I pack this baby up and take her to Calgary to be appraised.  For the next few hours, though, she'll hang on my wall, reminding me of that which I'm capable of creating, and challenging me to go forward with The Next Big Thing.

P.S. The blocks, clockwise from top left: St. Monica's Anglican Church, est. 1985; "Dutchman's Puzzle", aka "Windmill"; Mirror Station, built 1912, photo ca. August, 1975; "Churn Dash", similar to "Hole in the Barn Door"; Locomotive 2076, built 1908, photo ca. 1928; "Double Nine Patch" or the foundation for a "Single Irish Chain"; the Imperial Hotel, built 1912; "Maple Leaf" (goes without saying!); the Canadian Bank of Commerce, moved in from the now non-existent settlement of Lamerton, 1912; "Ohio Star"; the Brick School, built 1913; and "Broken Dishes".