Last week I managed to sew all the blocks from Chapter Four, titled ‘Independent Women’, and truly enjoyed reading Betsy Chutchian’s introduction to the chapter. With blocks named Old Maid’s Ramble and Old Maid’s Puzzle, one could begin to understand how being labelled an ‘old maid’ was equivilant to being a social outcast. For example, during Jane Austen’s time, to be unmarried at 27 placed a woman in the hopeless category, with no prospects of marriage and children in her future. Throughout history the main objective for women was reproduction, and once past the fertile stage of life, there was little she could bring to the marriage table other than being a helpmate. Betsy points out that many single women focused on contributing to society by becoming shopkeepers, innkeepers, or midwives, breaking the ground and setting the example for others to follow.
This chapter was wonderful food for thought and left me thinking about the women from our past who didn’t marry but chose their own path in life. Many of these women were writers and artists who stepped out of the shadows of suppression, forging exciting careers, being fine examples of strong and independent women, and leaving behind legacies of courageous work.
At first, I wasn’t interested in creating the small 12″ x 12″ mat from chapter four but I wanted to honour those women with something tangible that would help me to remember their struggles, and to be grateful for the ground they broke and the furrow they tilled for us all. That’s how I finally succumbed to make my version of the little mat, which is slightly larger than the original at about 14″ x 14″. I still have the quilting to do and, of course, the binding as well but I love what it represents…
I’ve called my mini quilt “The Flamboyant Spinster”!
until next time,
carol xox
Love this! Very flamboyant indeed! Awesome fabric choices. xoxo
Thanks Tammy! I really wanted to do something that was eye-catching and unexpected. I can just imagine a single woman artist in 1870 wearing an amazing dress constructed out of these wildly beautiful prints. And of course she would have to be sporting a fabulous matching hat with giant feathers and a bird nest perched on top 😮
Love your colors! Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to start my journey, trying to keep too many balls in the air.
Hi Libby, thanks for the lovely comment on my colour choice. This time of year is all about finding that balance between finishing up those lingering projects and all the exciting new beginnings. It definitely is a juggling act.
Well done! Beautiful colors, and your shoe and lady are adorable!
Thank you so much, Jeanne! I’m so pleased you have enjoyed my little ‘props’. I’ve been collecting needlework tools for a very long time and I have great fun including them in my photos. The blue shoe is Fenton and I’ve made it part of my shoe pincushion collection, even though it isn’t officially a pincushion 😮 I included it in the photograph as I think it could be classed as very flamboyant!