About a month ago I had the idea to sew a patchwork selfie. Not a literal picture of myself (haha), but a sort of patchwork autobiography with symbolic blocks and lots of words to capture who I am and who I have been.

I was thinking about those autobiographical journals that one often gives a grandparent or parent in hopes that they will be inspired to create a tangible record of their story. I love that idea! Well, why wait to be asked and why not do it in fabric? A patchwork selfie is much more my style than a photo selfie and I like that it can be used and kept and maybe sometimes spark conversations about the things that matter.

Choosing fabrics that feel like “me” was fun!

My sketch of the quilt may continue to be revised and fine-tuned, of course. Right now it has 10 different sections that move in a large spiral, from birth through dreams, journey, place, loss, family, favorites, etc. At the center is quite literally my center: faith and values.

Sketching the idea is one thing, but starting to sew feels oddly intimidating. I’m beginning at the quilt center with the Tree of Life, a vintage block that aptly symbolizes life source. I plan to embroider four values, one in each of the four setting triangles around the on-point block. Committing to just four words is hard! I hope to make the plunge this weekend.

Here are some of the fabrics for blocks near by the Tree of Life. Did you spot my change to the block? I decided the cream setting triangles weren’t quite working for me. Sometimes the start of a project is the most tricky.

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Quilt Sandwich

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Next I set out to sew my name, “Rachel”, using improv technique. I started with scraps in my chosen fabrics and completed the “R” yesterday. I quite like that “R”, even if it’s not perfect. Sewing It improv style makes it more like a signature, more personal.

Last night I added two more letters. Then I came to a hard realization. The word is going to be too big. I want my name to be smaller, both for practical and design reasons. Also, do you know I feel self-conscious writing my name? Interesting. I think smaller will feel more comfortable.

Improv piecing is cool, but it’s also time-consuming and difficult to control letter size. Even though I hate to set aside the work I’ve already done, I need to switch gears to a different letter method. I have a few ideas up my sleeve, starting with ribbon applique.

Wish me luck!