38. Millennium in a Moment Journal Quilt

This journal quilt is no. 38 already in my weekly series of Journal Quilts for the 52 Journals project where I'm making one for every week this year. It came about quite by chance as I was taken apart the fabric I used in the background for another purpose (that will only be revealed next year!). The Indian silk comes from a skirt I bought many years ago at a street market during a walking holiday in the Yorkshire Moors. It was too big even when I bought it but I fancied the silks. Of course someone who spends most of her days stitching could easily have adjusted the elastic waist but somehow it never happened. I did wear it occasionally but after once almost losing it when it started to descend downwards while I was running for a bus, I never wore it again and finally set myself to the task of taking it apart. The silks were all in small about 4" squares and were patched together for the skirt. I made the new A4 size background by cutting slivers of fabrics from all of them, layering them on top of Mistyfuse which in turn was layered on top of calico, ironed it all down and machine quilted it all with a variegated thread by machine. 

What to do next? Inspiration was provided by the above photograph I took during our visit to Glen Gardens back in the summer. The heartshapes in this gate definitely caught my attention, incurable romantic that I am.I used a plain purple cotton to draw on the shape, and Bondawebbed it down on the background and then stitched it as well using a double buttonhole machine stitch.

Something more was needed for added interest and for me that usually means I start a search through my embellishments and  this time I came up with these little buttons which it turned out, I had in many different colours. 

The final touch was the beading along the outside edges of the appliqued shapes as well as along the binding. Vintage text was found to suit the Journal Quilt and attached as shown. It reads: "Love: - what a volume in a word, an ocean in a tear, a seventh heaven in a glance, a whirlwind in a sigh, the lightning in a touch, a millennium in a moment" at top right and in the bottom left: "What concentrated joy or woe in blest or blighted love!".

You can see all the journal quilts for the 52 Journals so far by checking out the slideshow in the sidebar or if you want to read more about them in depth by clicking on the 52 Journals label at the bottom of this post.