Today I would like to introduce “Second Act Saturday”.

When I first contemplated blogging about quilting I found my brain hurt from trying to figure out how to get started.  Do I show everything I made during my “First Act”, and then show everything I made so far during my “Second Act”, and then start blogging about what I am doing now?  That seemed like it would take too long, and my brain ached even more thinking about how I might accomplish it.  Do I just start where I am now, and catch my readers up later?  An unrealistic sense of the importance of my personal artistic history made that seem so dishonest.  You have to realize that the best paper I ever wrote in the ancient past that was college was titled “The Artist as Historian”, so that gives an idea of where I am coming from in terms of the importance of self reflection in artistic production. Therefore, I could not help but think that people deserve to know where I’ve been artistically before they see where I am headed now.

The decision was taken out of my hands a few months ago when I joined the Central Jersey chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild. They wanted to know my web site URL.  I knew then that I had to spring to action and start blogging in ernest immediately.  I chose the option of just diving head first into the murky pool of current artistic activity. Yet, I did want to find a way eventually to catch my readers up on the big picture of who I am artistically.

Therefore, today I am introducing “Second Act Saturday”.  On Saturdays I will occasionally show an already finished object from my second act in fibers.  Soon to come will be “First Act Friday” through which I will occasionally show objects completed during my first act in fibers.  I’ll be reaching back forty to thirty years in the past to do this.

Today I will share the second object I created during my second act in fiber arts.  This is a coffee table cover made immediately following the couch runner that I blogged about previously. I’ll provide one photo of the couch runner below.

The coffee table cover is definitely related to the couch runner that came immediately before it. It was was well within my comfort zone using fabrics and shapes with which I had become familiar.

I was using fabrics based on a pallet chosen to be compatible with my This End Up couch.  Below is a photo of the fabric covering the couch.  I walked into the local quilt shop one day with a pillow from the couch under my arm and came out with 13 fabrics selected to work with the couch.

After completing the couch runner I had left over basted hexagons and also left over four hexagon units I had put together.  It made sense to use them to create a piece that would be on display so close to the couch runner.  I decided to use more of the polka dot fabric and less of the green patterned fabric than I did in the couch runner, but all of the fabrics were the same.

The piece got off to a good start.  You can see the folded couch runner in the photograph above. The four part units are pictured above with the green patterned fabric functioning as a background.  The four hexagon unit is featured prominently in the photo below.  They are joined to form columns in both of these pieces.

Lori the cat enjoyed the work in process as usual. She is on my lap as I piece hexagons together.

I’m showing off the reverse side before the piece was basted to the batting and backing.  I baste my hexagons using 2.5 inch squares of fabric, but I trim them before joining.

This piece utilizes a method of binding which I created on my own, although I am sure others have come up with this before me.  I join hexagons together, secure the seams so the hexagons will maintain their shape, then remove the papers before joining the border to the quilted piece.  The binding can best be viewed from the back of the piece where it contrasts with the backing fabric.

A close up reveals not only the beauty of the binding as well as how it allows the shape of the hexagon to be maintained along the border, but also shows significant amounts of crumbs and cat hair.  Oops.

This piece spends a good deal of time as a head rest on the back of my husband’s favorite chair.  In this photo you can see myself as a high school senior in the smaller portrait, and my quilt making  grandmother two years older in the larger portrait.