Sunday, March 15, 2020

Bohemian Purple Rhapsody

A lovely welcome to all you lovely lovelies♥ I was revisiting some of my posts this past week and found that I had never really chatted about a hexagon quilt which I designed and fashioned about ten years ago. Oh, this quilt has popped up in a few of my posts through the years and is pinned on Pinterest by someone every other day, but it has never been showcased up close and personal. It never has been the subject of it's own post and I think perhaps is worthy of being prattled on about (just a little) and enjoy a little showtime. =) "Which quilt??" I hear you ask. Why, it is my lusciously scrumptious, purple hexie quilt, which I named 'Bohemian Purple Rhapsody' many, many moons ago.

When we first landed in Tassie and settled into our humble abode, a local cafe owner visited us in our home; looked around the 'parlour' whilst she was sipping tea in a pretty teacup and asked me if I would like to set up a little shop in a room of her cafe, with the idea of flogging my pretties to the unsuspecting public. I thought why not, as I am always up for new adventures. So setting up my 'Sarah Lizzies Handmade' little shop, I did. Tourists from all over the globe crossed the threshold of my little room. Ladies that is, as their partners took one look at all the pretties and fled for their lives, perhaps fearing they would get entangled in all things textile. It is amazing how the look of fear comes into a man's eyes when he sees a room burgeoning with lace and fabric pretties. They truly do run for their lives! Many ladies purchased any number of my 'wares' to take home with them......to many, many countries. I sold many handmade pretties; quilts, cushions, bags, dolls; whatever my muddly brain could conjure up. There was a lady who was a companion to a famous British actress of the stage who bought one of my little embellished, lavender hearts as a gift to this unnamed thespian. Apparently my little pretty hangs alongside coutured gowns, in a three story Victorian home sitting along the Thames. Whom....I don't really know as the older thespian's companion wouldn't divulge her name. The thought that others liked my pretties enough to take them home with them is always  humbling to me.

 As I sat each day in my little shop I was always working on some pretty or other. It is amazing the conversations I enjoyed with people as I stitched. I cannot tell you how many times ladies opened up their hearts and more often than not I would ask them if they would like a coffee. Over a cappuccino, stories spilled out of their mothers, aunts.....grandmothers who sewed, who loved lace, who collected buttons and so on. Why, some of the ladies would go home and post me their great grandmother's embroidery and lace collections, just because they knew I would fashion something from their exquisite pretties; I would give these treasures another life. Indeed, I look back at that period in my life as a wonderful experience. My little shop's existence lasted for a couple of years but then an opportunity arose for me to teach children the delights of all things stitching, so a new fun-filled door opened.

But about Bohemian Purple Rhapsody?? I started this quilt with the notion of using up my stash of vintage fabrics and many of the gorgeous french laces; my dowry of cloth that I had collected over the years. Five years previously I had designed a QAYG pastel hexie quilt brimming with vintage embroideries and laces and other such pretties. To my knowledge a QAYG hexie where each hexie danced with embroidered linens, lace and oodles of embellishments had never been imagined before. Indeed there are a lot of these hexie quilts in cyberspace these days but when I designed this type of quilt there was nothing of this ilke around. Why, a lady whose name is Rhonda Dort discovered my pastel pretty on Pinterest and  it sparked her imagination to create her amazing quilt which apparently took 2nd prize at the Houston Quilt Show. To this day every time I go into my blog my pastel pretty has been pinned. It always amazes me how people find a pretty that one has fashioned; inspiring them to perhaps make a similar quilt. 'Tis such a pity I didn't write THAT book all those years ago prattling on about my  QAYG embellished hexie pretties.......I could have perhaps retired.....that is of course if anyone bought the book. =)

BUT.....I digress......again. My 'little' quilt was imagined with the thought of  a rainbow of jewel-like fabrics all swirling and twirling around in an exotic, colourful, gypsy dance, falling wherever they will. I wanted to design and fashion a bohemian rhapsodic quilt. Every fabric is vintage....silks, velvets, flock velvets, Italian coverlets, Indian silk beaded saris, satins....all sumptuous and gorgeous. Then to spice it up even more, every lace was to be even more colourful and even more exotic. I tell you, I have a serious stash of exquisite French laces which I happened upon quite by accident, and for a proverbial song! The acquisition of these glorious laces is perhaps a story for another day.

I wanted this quilt to effuse enthusiasm and ecstatic expression of a bohemian aesthetic. Also, I wanted this quilt to be unconventional, breaking all the 'so-called' quilting rules of colour and design. I really didn't give a hoot about what goes with what or indeed what doesn't. I just wanted to splash colour onto colour; with the need to play. I wanted to pay homage to those crazy patchwork quilts of yesteryear, but with a modern twist. I wanted a lush, sumptuous quilt of blues, pinks, purples, browns, greens, reds, lavenders...even a touch of tangerines and burnished oranges. Bohemian Purple Rhapsody took me eight months of six hour days to stitch. Each stitch lovingly and slowly hand stitched. As I sat and stitched in my little shop, or on the verandah of the cafe, many people saw the gradual unfolding of my bohemian pretty.

I wanted ruched flowers, ribbon roses,  butterflies, trailing vines with pretty ribbon leaves, gloves, baskets and jardinierres overspilling with ribbon floral delight, beads, jewels, buttons, buckles, french laces kissing the border of each hexie. A scrumptious quilt embellished to an inch of it's life was what I desired. I just wanted more, more, more; because, well...........I am an over-the-top, more is never enough, kinda gal.







I look upon those days when I stitched in my little shop, with visitors all around the world entering my colourful and handmade little world and smile at those memories. I smile at the conversations we shared. I smile at how in a very small way I brought a little whimsy and perhaps sprinkled a touch of beauty to another's day. I smile when I think that something I imagined.......then fashioned, is in another's home in some other part of the world. I wonder if they remember that lady who was entangled in a muddly, colourful textile, lacey web. I hope so.

Until the next time...................


Linking up to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching.




61 comments:

  1. It's a gorgeous! Seems you exceeded your goals for color and whimsy. It's always nice to look back and think of what was happening when one was stitching on a favorite project. Happy stitching on whatever you are stitching on now.

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    1. Thank you, Kate. My Bohemian Purple Rhapsody quilt has so many lovely memories swirling around it. So many beautiful memories of conversations with lovely ladies who I only met once and would never see again. Oh, they were fun-filled days. Thank you for your sweet visit, Kate. Kim Xx

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  2. Oh my this is a real work of art! I'm glad you showed the whole quilt on the bed because I had no concept of its size. And it definitely deserved a post all of its own! Great name too but then I live Queen!

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  3. WOW! The Victorian ladies would have been envious of this quilt! So stunning!

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  4. This is beautiful! The Victorian ladies would have been envious. Happy stitching!

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  5. Your hexie quilt is absolutely stunning!

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  6. Precious! This quilt suits you, and it's very you! I love all the details you put in it, lovely gloves and beads, and ribbons, everything is gorgeous!

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  7. Hello darling Kim! WOW! What a masterpiece! All your lovely attention to detail and the joy evident in the finished product . . . amazing.
    I wish I could have visited with you in that little shop.

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  8. Oh my! Bohemian Purple Rhapsody is most definitely worthy of its own post. It is lusciously embellished with rich bits of a little this and a little that! It is perfectly titled. Oh if you only knew the name of thevactress that was gifted one of your handmade lovelies. Most certainly your lovely lace-filled shop has been a treasured memory for many a visitor. Out of curiosity, a post or two ago, you mentioned upcoming travel plans. May I inquire if that is still a possibility.

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  9. Wonderful purple quilt!Unique!I enjoy it so much,how many gorgeous details!Hugs and blessings!P.S. I also loved hearing about your store,adorable memories.

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    1. Thank you, so much, lovely Maristella. Kim Xx

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  10. Absolutely gorgeous crazy quilt. Sharon Boggan from Australia is making a hexie crazy quilt to be finished by the end of 2020, using 2020 different stitches, fabrics, beads etc. She can be found here: https://pintangle.com/

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  11. I have never seen something so beautiful. It is truly a work of art.

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  12. So gorgeous!
    I adore the green glove and the aqua doilie... well, everything!
    Thanks for linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching!

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  13. Hi Kim, your quilt really did deserve it's own post. It sounds like you had a great time in that little shop. The quilt is like a Crazy Quilt gone rogue - absolutely gorgeous.

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  14. Im sure that you’ve made many people happy with all your pretties, dearest Kim. I loved picturing you in the little shop and stitching away while customers browsed and shopped. Your Bohemian Purple Rhapsody is indeed a beauty and so unique and so YOU! Thank you for sharing the beauty with us. We all especially need some loveliness in our lives right now! 😘

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  15. Oh my goodness Kim, I've just realised that this quilt is the photo you have on your "profile". It certainly is indeed Bohemian Rhapsody of colour and embellishment, rather lovely of course, as all your creations are. Thank you for sharing a little of your life in the cafe shop, bringing joy and colour to the customers. How wonderful that your creations have traveled home with appreciative ladies, including that unnamed thespian!

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  16. Hola Kim, yo sí había visto tu colcha "Bohemian Purple Rhapsody" y la primera vez que la ví me pareció realmente la fantasía de un artista llevada al mundo del textil, es magnífica y un lujo el contemplarla. BESICOS.

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  17. Wow! The detail on this piece is amazing. I especially love the glove holding the thread/ribbon and the detail on the glove. This is such a piece of art.

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  18. What a great idea to incorporate a glove. I also love the butterflies and the vintage lace.
    Really beautiful.
    Keep well.

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    1. Thank you, Thelma. Gloves are fabulous to hold a trailing vine of flowers and leaves, don't you think? And....of course a butterfly or two or three, fluttering over the odd hexie, is always a most excellent idea. You keep well, too, Thelma. Take care. Kim Xx

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  19. Oh, I don't know about the "talk of my town", but let's just say they know I am here living in the little house on the hill, burgeoning with all things pretty. Let's just say that this far rural outpost had not met the likes of me when we first arrived. My little shop was a fun little place. I met so many beautiful people who entered my little room and did not exit in a hurry. There were many husbands who would pop their head in the doorway several times and ask their wives, "are you done yet??". I giggle at these memories. =) There was always so much to enjoy chatting about. If you were to cross the threshold of my little shop, Sandra, I am quite certain you and I would have a lot to chat about over a cup of tea, or a coffee. Thank you so much for your beautiful and kind comments, Sandra. Keep well and take care. Kim Xx

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  20. Kim,
    I always enjoy your posts. Your Bohemian Purple Rhapsody quilt is a treasure. The pictures are so inspiring. During this somewhat ‘unsettling’ time in our world, receiving your email was delightful. You stitch your words together just as lovely as you do your textiles. YOU are the treasure.

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    1. I do not know what to say, lovely Luann, except to say thank you so much for your beautiful visit. Isn't it lovely to think that there is no lockdown here in blogland. We can still visit each other; be kind and generous and encourage each other. Thank you for your generosity of spirit you have blessed me with today. I hope you are well and safe. Take care, lovely lady. Kim Xx

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  21. Kim, your quilt is bedazzling! It should be displayed at an Textile Art Museum if you ask me! My hat off to your creative genius! I would love to see pictures of your little shop if you want and have some to share. I can imagine the wonderful atmosphere there - reading your story felt like watching a movie! Happy Monday lovely lady!

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  22. It is a work of art, I am in love with this quilt.

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    1. Thank you so much, Christina. I am rather in love with my little bohemian quilt as well. All the joyous colour and pretty embellishments, just make me smile. Thank you for your sweet visit. I hope you are safe and well way up there in springtime Scotland. Kim Xx

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  23. Hi Kim, your quilt is truly stunning. I could look at this all day. Wish you would write a book with all the wonderful photos of all your pretties. When I look at the photos I see things I didn’t see before.
    Best wishes Kay c Xx

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    1. Thank you, lovely Kay♥ I have often thought upon the idea of a book showcasing all the embellished hexies I have fashioned. I have designed and fashioned six of these pretties and all are different.Three I still have; the other three were given as presents to special friends. Who knows.....perhaps one day. =) That is the thing with these hexies, you can look at them forever and still see something you didn't notice before. To this day, these hexies are my very favourite quilts to fashion as you just play. They are always such fun. Thank you for popping by, lovely lady. Kim Xx

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  24. A perfect name for a perfect quilt !!!!
    Thanks for sharing your beauties, lovely Kim !
    Have a lovely week !
    Anna

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  25. Kim, your handwork is intoxicatingly divine! Lucky are those who have a memento of your work!

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    1. How very kind and generous of you, Rita; thank you so much. Kim Xx

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  26. Your handwork is exquisite, Kim. The dimension that you have accomplished with the lace, buttons, ribbons, ruched work and fabrics is stunning. It looks just gorgeous on the bed and I am sure it brings back many fond memories each time you see it.

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  27. The Bohemian Purple Rhapsody is beautiful. The color combinations are quite lovely. Your quilts are candy to the eye.
    Marion

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    1. There is just something about the colour purple skipping along every other colour of the rainbow, isn't there. It seems to go with every hue. Thank you for your sweet visit, lovely Marion. Your little purple bag is winging it's way up to you. Kim Xx

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  28. Kim you never fail to amaze me with your talent. This Bohemian Purple Rhapsody i a beauty. I would have loved to have a book that you did write. Perhaps in the future? You are such a talented lady.
    Marilyn

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    1. You are so very kind, Marilyn, thank you for your beautiful comments. You know, I would love to pen a book based on my muddly thoughts with a few happy snaps of my pretties thrown into the mix. Perhaps one day. Hope you are well way up there. Take care, lovely lady. Kim Xx

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  29. Oh my goodness, that is really something special! Your work is always so beautiful. You have brought a smile to my face.

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    1. Thank you so much, Jayne, for your generosity of spirit and sweet kindness. I hope you are enjoying a pleasant day, knitting your gorgeous vintage pretty. Kim Xx

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  30. Wow I can see why it took that long to make that is just amazing with such beautiful embellishing with all your wonderful flowers and other goodies, so much to look at and admire. How wonderful that you had that time to share with others from all over the world, and to share your beautiful creations with others in that way. I think it is great that you are passing all that on to kids now, we have to keep this artwork going to further generations to love and inspire others and bring such beauty into the world!!

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  31. More is so much MORE....I love the embellishing upon embellishing. The colors are stunning. That beauty should be hung in a museum but it looks wonderful on your bed!

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  32. Dear Kim, how I would have liked to visit you in your shop to admire all those sweet beautiful creations.
    But this quilt is super beautiful, the most beautiful so far, with all those nice fabrics, velvet, pearls, beads, ribbons, lace, flowers and butterflies.
    I can not get enough of it.

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    1. Loes, it would have been the highlight of my day if you had happened by my little shop. I have a feeling you and I would have had the sweetest of times.Thank you for stopping by and gifting me with your beautiful words. Thinking of you lovely lady. Take care❤ KimXx

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  33. Now talk about a crazy quilt for THIS century! This rivals those turn of the century creations that inspired so many to take up quilting. I love that the embellishment foundations are QAYG hexies! I also agree that this one should be on exhibit or entered into an international show -- although it might be hard to trust having it away from you (definitely should be appraised and insured). What a wonderful story about your little craft shop-within-a-coffee shop. It's not too late for that book -- I think a book about embellishing with lace and ribbons and working with vintage textiles (featuring some of those inspiring closeups of Bohemian Purple Rhapsody and a few of those blocks recreated into smaller patterned projects) would still have a place in the market today.

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  34. Wow - that is marvelous. So many little details. I am always amazed at how much you can stuff into your projects. Beautiful!

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  35. Oh wow!! I love that you call them pretties - although I must confess I might have just called them gorgeous!!!

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  36. I need an imoge (Is that the term?) that shows a face with tears running down the cheeks because that was definitely me. I know I've seen a few of the pictures of your 'Bohemian Purple Rhapsody' and it brought tears to my eyes. To crown those tears, was your reminisces of Rhonda. You know she was how I came to meet you and read your blog. You are both amazing artists! I'd never heard of your little stitching heaven when first you came to Tassie. What a joy to hear of that. I'm sure the 'Bohemian Purple Rhapsody' and that little shop go hand-in-hand. Thank you, again, for sharing all these wonderful personal stories and photos, Kim. :) :) :)

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  37. Kim - once again, you have written a post that pulls us in, entangles us in a web as surely as a spider with its silken threads! Enticing writing, and then the glory of each even-more-delightful close-up of the quilt. No muddled brain made this treasure! So glad you decided to share it with us after all these years. Stay well!

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  38. It is almost unimaginable that this magnificently beautiful quilt was made by human hands! Wow and wow again! It definitely belongs in the book!

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    1. Thank you so much, Mary, for your your beautiful visit and sweet words. KimXx

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  39. You outdid yourself here, Kim, what a fantastic quilt, so quirky and unique. I enjoyed my visit, settled down with a cup of tea for a leisurely read. Seemed so normal in this crazy time.
    Amalia
    xo

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  40. i am certain the people remember you with great joy...

    and how cool that people are pinning your creation!! the quilt is gorgeous the colors and the unique dimension that you added to it!! i'm glad you showed up close parts and then it in its entirety, it's just so pretty!!

    stay safe and stay well!!!

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  41. Oh, My ...you unleashed some wonderful MUSE...that is Glorius...so much fun. I bet you smile, no grin every time you look at it...really unique and just wonderful!

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    1. I do smile every time I look at my little colourful hexie quilt, Sandi. Thank you for your sweet visit and lovely words. Kim Xx

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  42. Wow, my Bohemian ancestors would be blown away by all that pretty work. (Or did they escape to the states because they couldn't live up to expectations? ) You sure made good use of your time in that shop! Love it!

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  43. I very much enjoyed reading your story. I'm sorry I was never a visitor to your little shop but now I feel I have been there in my minds eye. Perhaps thee is still time for you to write that book? This Bohemian Purple Rhapsody is a stunning creation. More a work of art than a quilt. It was very deserving of it's own post and I'm glad you've shown us more of the detail. I hope you and Mr Kim are keeping well and safe in these worrying times :) xxx

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  44. Wow stunning quilt and love the colors and details.

    Stay well.

    Hugs Diane

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    1. Thank you, lovely Diane. You stay well, too. Take care. KimXX

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  45. Well I must say I would have bought that book!!! Oh Kim, how I wish I could 'see/touch' this one for real. It's totally amazing and I'm sure what you've shown us here is only a teeny little fraction of how special it is. Wouldn't it be so much fun to peep into each other's stashes? Stay safe - stay well.

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