The Patchwork Selfie continues! First, thank you all for your kind comments and encouragement when I introduced my idea last week. Since I haven’t had the chance yet to answer some of your questions personally, I will try to cover them in today’s post. Plus, I have new progress to share.

Hooray that so many of you are interested in this sort of project! Actually, I hope to turn it into a year-long sew-along, like the Penny Sampler. I don’t know if I’ll have it ready for a January start, perhaps it’ll wait until spring. But, either way I know that this project will be worth sharing and that I can make the process much easier for you once I’ve blazed the trail (code for learned by trial and error).

Speaking of trial and error, here are the three types of appliqué mediums I experimented with this week. Ribbon is the prettiest, but it won’t curve at all. Though folding the ribbon to make a turn is tidy, it doesn’t accommodate all the round shapes in our alphabet. Next I tried regular bias tape, as it is so widely available. It allows for a bit of curve, but not nearly enough. The winner? Knit bias tape. With its added stretch, this medium makes curved letters the best.

That said, I still felt frustrated while making my new “Rachel” block. Up close the knitted bias tape applique still looks less-than-polished. When I step back, I do think it’s pretty, and I like the raised texture. I decided to push ahead and finish the word. I can always go back and redo this block, if desired.

What I am sure I like is the choice of fabric and appliqué letter color. I like the way that my name is nestled into the branches, slightly camouflaged. It’s what feels comfortable to me, and that’s what matters in a self portrait.

Robin asked, “Is the quilt how you see yourself or things you would like to project about yourself?” Such a good question. This quilt is generally how I see myself, who I believe I really am. Sometimes that means it’s not going to reflect how I would prefer to be. For example, maybe I’d rather be more confident with my name, with putting my name in bolder letters. But, well, I also accept that shy, introvert side of myself. Making my name the way that feels right is part of accepting and embracing those feelings.

Over the last week I also embroidered four values round my Tree of Life block. These are words that give me life and guide my life: Love, Hope, Courage and Beauty. Love because it is the ultimate law and the meaning and manner of a good life. Hope for my optimistic and forward-moving spirit, which tends to believe almost anything is possible. Courage for the wherewithal to transform hope into action. And beauty because it moves my soul to joy and gives me so much energy.

Embroidering was soothing! So straightforward in comparison to the appliqué. I used my own handwriting and a split stitch, thought I’d like to experiment with other embroidery stitches too.

This morning I arranged my work-in-progress to get a bird’s eye view and choose fabrics/colors for upcoming blocks. Inger asked, “Are you planning to put more figurative blocks like the tree of life, or is going to be mainly words?” My Patchwork Selfie will be a mixture of figurative patchwork and words. In fact, each of the ten sections has both patchwork and word elements.

The Center section includes the Tree of Life block, a favorite feature print (I’ve chosen Social Climber by Anna Maria Horner in that golden yellow), the name block and a long statement block. The statement block is a place to put a life motto or faith statement. For some, it could be a segment of scripture. I’ll be appliquéing my statement block next, on that striped fabric base. This time with yarn, in the style of my Brave quilt. The other fabric choices you see mocked up are actually for other sections of the quilt.

Ok, until next time!

p.s. I love this, from Rosemary: “We are so many things, it is going to be nutty difficult trying to fit the best and most significant in one quilt. -or maybe this is going to be a HUGE quilt.” haha