Carlsbad By The Sea Quilt
History of the Carlsbad by the Sea Collaborative quilt
An idea arrived of creating art that would involve residents from all the Front Porch communities. It would not only bring residents together during the period of isolation, but also produce items that could be displayed in Front Porch Gallery, and then become a touring show to all of the Front Porch communities and finally to a larger audience outside.
One suggestion was to make a quilt consisting of squares made by many residents, each in a different design. The only requirement was that the squares be made of the same 3 fabrics. As time went on, resident creativity went wild and each community enhanced the idea in its own way. A regular Zoom conference call was established so we could enjoy one another’s artistic adventure.
Carlsbad by the Sea was ready to meet the challenge!
We have several established groups of needle workers who make baby quilts and afghans donated to families at Camp Pendleton, and delightful dresses for girls in orphanages around the world.
Of course, we also benefit from having Front Porch Gallery in our community. We enjoy their frequent exhibits; many residents have had their own paintings and artistic works shown there.
Pat Killen, leader of Sew’n’Sew quilters and the inspiration for the Little Dresses project, got us started by selecting the fabric we would all use for the collaborative quilt squares. She also shared a book of classic quilt square patterns and invited each of us to find a pattern that delighted us.
These are the women who made squares for the quilt:
| Betty Roberts | Carole Sanders | Joyce Harvey |
| Liz Haesemeyer | Marilyn Gordinier | Pat Killen |
| Phyllis McNeese | Teresa Manship | Valerie Cumming |
The theme of the quilt is: From Chaos to Order and Thanksgiving.
The Fall colors (Brown, Red, and Yellow) were chosen for the target quilt completion and exhibit dates. Also, we had those fabrics in our supply closet when the sequester period began.
Chaos is represented in the quilt by the single ‘crazy quilt’ block on one corner. Some of the pieces are wrong-side-up. This square was made by using a traditional quilting method that was unfamiliar to some of us. We found directions on the internet.
The other 11 squares represent Order by their lovely and satisfying symmetry.
The corn pattern of our dominant fabric is evocative of our country’s First Thanksgiving.
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