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There is something about holding a quilt that brings peace to my heart and a smile to my eyes. Maybe it’s the fact that every great aunt I had growing up was known for her quilting abilities, or perhaps it’s the appreciation I’ve gained as an adult about how much time, effort, and love go into a quilt. Either way, every quilt I own, thrift, or get to borrow at someone’s house makes me feel connected to women who have come before me.
I hold a deep reverence for the quilts of old that took months of painstaking, arthritis-inducing, hand-stitching labors to complete, either out of necessity for warmth or made with the intention of giving away for the special occasion of someone in their circle, like a wedding, the birth of a baby, or even a funeral.
Historically, quilts were often made in community, with several women sitting around a table or next to each other in chairs or loveseats to stitch handmade fabrics together into something with a story to tell. Each quilted pattern itself holding the translation for future onlookers and users to decipher.
Although the star quilt block featured in this dress is a relatively simple quilt design and is more for looks than to tell a rich story, it’s an ode to every quilt that someone before me has made just to make it with love. Filled with vibrant colors of all shades, patterns, and designs, this quilt top is made almost completely with salvaged and secondhand fabric. Every time I look at these stars I envision the other projects women before me have completed and feel grateful that I found a little piece of their leftover supplies to make something “new.” I think it’s also worth noting that most “quilted” garments being produced and sold right now are not true quilt squares constructed into a fabric but rather a quilt-looking printed fabric with some vertical stitching connecting the backing. Once you see the difference between the two, there’s no mistaking a quilt fabric with a real quilt.
As a mother to a very busy toddler, I found my time to create this piece during naps and after bedtime- spreading out all of my supplies again and again on our dining room table so I had space to cut and plan each star. The quilt top itself took me about four months to complete just because of how time consuming the prep work of cutting fabric squares was, but once I had the top completed the dress came together faster and more eloquently than I anticipated. It felt as if the quilt top wanted to become the finished dress.
I’ve worked with completed quilts before---both modern industrially---made and antique hand-made quilts- to create jackets and bags, but this was my first time making the actual quilt top and having full control over the pattern and the finished product.
While this labor of love took over 60 hours to complete, I found so many of those hours to be peace-filled. It was my time to let my creativity run wild; my mind could troubleshoot the finished product and problem solve something other than the day-to-day needs of a little human.
The dress is double-lined with the natural cotton you see on the “blank” squares in every area except the frill at the bottom, making it incredibly solid and sewn to last. My intention was for this dress to last as long as the quilts of our grandmothers so it can be treated as an heirloom and not just “a dress.” I can’t wait for it to find a home with someone who will cherish it in every wear the way I was able to cherish its creation.
Truly, it was an honor.
xo Justice Fuegen