The Blues No More: Wedding Rings and Eternity

It has been almost a month since I posted that I was starting a project with these pretty Metro Blue fabrics. Just as a refresher, I was given the left-over Duponi Silk and lace from a wedding dress and the crepe-back satin from the sash and asked to come up with some sort of memento the bride could hang on her wall. I was given a few other details; the wedding colors are turquoise and brown and the bride likes gerber daisies. I went to my favorite thinking spot – the shower (something about the sound of the water washes away everything else and I'm able to focus and figure things out), and came up with a brilliant idea, which involved new toys for me.

I'm prone to procrastinate but I'm working on that, so I started on this project way earlier than I might usually because I didn't want to be bringing the bride and groom a wedding gift from a group of friends and neighbors (who chipped in to pay for the framing because it was a lot, even after the 50% off coupon) a month after the honeymoon. That just gave me more time to stop and rest between steps so I could think things out when I came to a bit of a sticky spot. This is my first wedding ring quilt. The curved piecing didn't scare me, but the doing-something-I've-never-done-before did, especially since the pressure was on to get it right. I read through the instructions, pieced the melons and had the square laid out for about a week before I moved on to the next steps.

[Editor's Note: Obviously there was a bit of a flaw in the start-early-and-get-it-done-sooner plan, because it took three weeks to do something I could have finished in one. However, we will be taking this to the bride before the wedding, so in some small measure the plan did succeed.]

Since I was only working with one complete ring and partial pieces, I couldn't quite envision how to make the pieces work with the assembly instructions. To further complicate things, the corners were to be left open until the pieces were completely assembled. Since I couldn't think my way through it, I just had to start working and it came together. Eventually. Then I ran into some technical difficulties. My universal walking foot fell completely apart while I was quilting and got grease on the quilt as I was working on it. I wanted to cry because up to that point, I'd invested a good number of hours into this project. My only choice at this point was to finish it because all the quilting needed to be in place before I could wash it, and I would only know if the grease would all come out after I washed it, but that had to come after I finished the quilting. I was stuck again, and this time with a faulty piece of equipment. The single screw that held the cover on the walking foot was completely stripped. I resolved to make do and remember to check to make sure everything was holding together often. Mr. Bug could see me struggling, so he sent me to get my machine-specific walking foot. That helped the rest of the quilting go much, much smoother. I kept my fingers crossed as

I put the quilt in to soak and much to my relief the grease came out. After it dried, I pressed it, but the finished piece no longer had that perfectly pressed look I was hoping for. I decided I could live with it because the alternative was a re-make, and that I couldn't live with. I mounted it on foam core board and then added the final touch; a gerber daisy in turquoise, along with beads I'd pulled of the extra wedding dress lace.

And then I took it to the framers so they could work their magic. The finished size is 20" x 20". I picked it up today.

The bride and groom will be married on June 25, 2010 in the Mount Timpanogos LDS Temple. We believe that a family can be sealed or bound together for eternity when married by the proper authority in the proper place. Families can continue after this life, if we are obedient to the commandments of God. So, I've decided to call this quilt Eternity. I think that name fits well. I added a bit of symbolism to the block as well. The wedding rings, which have no beginning or end, symbolize eternity. The brown outer circle represents the strength and protection a husband gives to a family. The lighter, inner circles, of which you can only see part, represent the woman who is the heart of the home and branching out from there are the love and service that she provides. The pattern repeats over and over and depending on the perspective, the roles are reversed, with the woman giving strength and protection to the family and the man giving service and love. The flower represents the constant care and nourishment a marriage needs and the beautiful thing it can be when each partner gives 100% to their spouse and the marriage. The interlocking circle pattern symbolizes that each partner in a marriage and their choices are individual and unique but are intertwined in the lives of those around them. The square frame that cuts off the pattern alludes to the fact that life is only a small portion in our eternal existence; the pattern of the quilt continues well beyond the boundaries of the frame and it could possibly go on forever much in the same way that our lives on earth are only a small part of our existence.

I realize that my beliefs are not embraced by all, so I hope you won't mind me sharing once in a while. I try to keep it contained to Sunday posts, but some of the things that I believe are a part of my culture and so they leak out into everyday things.

[Editor's Note: while I was working on this, I started thinking about making something similar to hang on the wall at my house. We bought my wedding dress, so I'd have to cut it all up. But it was on sale, 50% off, and I'm not sure that anyone would ever wear it again.  I even still have my reception bouquet. I could totally make this work.]

I've linked up at a few fun places. Check them out for some really neat finishes.