What is a Journal Quilt?
Across the Seas Challenge - From Ballarat to Boston!
A journal quilt is a quilt that is constructed over the course of a year. A square is done once a week, usally focusing on an important or memorable event that week.
Joyce is constructing her quilt as a joint project with Geraldine, a friend currently living in Boston. It was suggested as a project by Geraldine as something they could do together whilst separated by distance.
The project has some parameters:
Start date – 1st January 2008
Parameters (no rules here!):
• 1 block per week, imagery based on weekly events sightings, or musings.
• Using any or all of following techniques: fusing; paper piecing; traditional piecing (machine); appliqué; bias strips.
• 54 blocks total with start date on top left block and end date on bottom right block.
• Choose one fabric which will make a guest appearance in each block.
• Size of blocks: raw – 19×19 cms; finished – 16×16 cms.
• Quilt as you go.
• Layout: 6 blocks across x 9 blocks down.
• Sashing of 3cm to join blocks to make quilt (no posts).
• Go for it!
What Joyce says about her journal quilt.
“I decided that I wanted to use my stash of black and white fabrics so I would use these plus a dash of red in the bottom right hand corner of the block. I have done this rather than using one particular fabric in every block. I wanted the quilt to be unified and thought that the definite colour scheme would help to gel a very diverse range of subject matter and techniques. I have really enjoyed challenge of the black and white fabrics.
Sadly, however my stash hasn’t gone down very much!!!!
I also decided that I wanted to explore numbers and words on my quilt. I started off recognising the odd numbered weeks (I have a theory that they are neglected!) and then half-way through the year I swapped to the even-numbered weeks. Numbers and words make the process of telling a story a little easier.”