Colored Girl Daydreams

When you grow up in less than perfect circumstances, dreaming of more perfect circumstances is imperative for survival. That is why dreams are important to me. Born in 1954 in Arkansas, I grew up in the segregated South. I dreamed a lot.
Early in my quilting career I created a quilt entitled “Colored Girl Dreams.” I still love that quilt. I think of “Colored Girl Daydreams” is the daughter of “Colored Girl Dreams.”
The quilt was born from an orphan kaleidoscope block that was left over from my quilt “Calm Calamity.” I enjoy trying to come up with a beautiful quilt from an orphan block. In this case it was easy because I collect browns and taupes for my “Peaceful Porch Patchwork” series. I simply added several borders, including a pieced border, around the orphan block to make the quilt measure 53 X 53 inches.
What makes “Colored Girl Daydreams” special is the hand quilting. Hand quilting gives me plenty of time to dream. I hand quilted it using #8 brown and cream Perle cotton thread and lots of quilting stencils. I love the result. The quilt is a little heavier than usual, I think. Make sure you use a sturdy rod to hang it.
After hand quilting “Colored Girl Daydreams,” I added 3 decorative wooden painted buttons. Believe it or not, there is a button in the center of the orphan block — totally unplanned but found in my button stash!
I also added 6 heart charms that read “Beautiful Girl, you can do hard things”. I love affirmations in my quilts. My quilts always have a life message.
The fabric on the back of the quilt is a travel motif. It speaks of Paris and other fun things. I thought it added to the theme of the quilt.
There is a hanging sleeve on the back for easy display and a label that documents the quilt.
The fabrics on the front of the quilt were too dark and busy for me to sign my name as I usually do so I added a reprinted label and a “dream charm.”
This quilt is one-of-a-kind.