When I do count the clock that tells the time...

This year I will serve as jury member for the competition in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines. The theme of this year’s challenge is “Yesterday, today, tomorrow”. Judging will take place in about two weeks. When I first learned about the theme I already knew that I would be a member of the jury, and was glad that that meant I would not be allowed to enter, because I thought that would be a very difficult theme to deal with.  A couple of weeks later I found out that Carrefour had started to ask jurors to also complete a quilt with the same theme as the challenge, and these would be displayed together with the chosen ones. So I started thinking about how I would deal with that topic – but only on the side, I had 29 other meters to think about and work on. However, I did start a sketchbook, and jotted down ideas. 

Quickly I understood that this was going to be a very personal quilt, and thought I’d put it off until the very last moment. Deal with the others first, and if you don’t have enough time, tough luck, then you just won’t have one in the show. That’s what I thought, until about ten days ago when Dinah from Carrefour not only sent me an e-mail with all the information on the jurying process ,  but also asking me to send an advance picture of my contribution to the challenge for publication in the catalogue. Ouch – I hadn’t even started, and still a lot of other things to do to finish those 29 meters... 

All my tightly packed planning gone to hell. So I altered my plans and – after finishing sewing the top of Play of Lines XXXI –

immediately set to work on this one. I had decided to use a piece of heirloom fabric that has been handed down in our family and is supposed to have been hand-spun and hand-woven by one of my ancestors.

And it had been clear to me from the very beginning that the title of this quilt would be my favorite line from one of the Shakespeare sonnets, namely “When I do count the clock that tells the time”.

So I’ve been working inside and outside (it’s been rather warm here lately).

Besides the embroidery that I wanted to include in this quilt it did involve some meticulous planning for the placement of various elements.

And as this is the season, “on the side” I am picking gooseberries and currants from the garden, and cooking marmelade to last us through the winter:

Today I finished quilting the top, tomorrow I hope to put on the binding and sleeve. They want that picture by July 20^th. I am counting the clock that tells the time in many different ways...