I am someone who pretty much always has a song stuck in my head. This can be very frustrating when the song eases its way in without my permission, ahem like music playing in the grocery store, and that song just sits there torturing me. This occurred recently after a quick run for spinach and goat cheese left me with No Doubt in my head for hours after. SO not cool. I know I sound Seinfeldian here, but what is the deal with music in groceries and drugstores these days? Is there a “grocery store” channel on satellite radio that pumps out these tunes? And is there subliminal messaging in this music intended to steer customers toward certain products? I just don’t understand it and will end my examination now.
I do, however, love to have a song stuck in my head that brings me joy, comfort or both. Enter “It’s Gonna Be OK” by Anders Osborne. For the better part of sixteen months, this song keeps getting stuck upstairs, where I let it stay and percolate because it feels right and cozy like a quilt. As the title implies, the song has a strong sentiment that it IS going to be okay in the end, even when the moment and journey are turbulent. Although I have long held affection for this song, it truly resonated for me – and I’m sure many others – over the last year. I believe that this song may have originally been written as a breakup song but I’ve always interpreted it as a “you’ve got this, even though it hurts” kind of song. It is not a typical Anders song, but still features his soulful voice, thoughtful lyrics and unique guitar style.
For those not familiar with Anders, he is a New Orleans by way of Sweden blues guitarist/singer/songwriter and prolific musician. He has a very unique guitar style and he simply all caps ROCKS. Hands down he is one of the great New Orleans musicians and whether solo in his living room during quarantine, or on a stage with other masters like George Porter Jr., every performance is high quality and full of soul. I chose Anders as the tunes for this project because the following pieces are gifts for a girlfriend who happens to be a big Anders fan and her family of four. I love learning about people and feel that favorites (be it food, color, music, book, place to visit, etc.) are fascinating.
As you can see, I am still into making placemats and into the Joe Cunningham method of making four patches. Seeing all four of these lined up, I love that there is a cohesive quality to the set, but how each placemat is unique. This inspires me to ponder how I can use this method in blocks as opposed to one allover piece, as I did with Funky Miracle. Hmmm…the wheels are turning with possible ideas here, folks. This set of placemats was made before I left southwest Colorado with the intent to gift in person. Unfortunately in the chaos that ensued right after their creation, they wound up packed in a box and stored somewhere in Idaho for the last 2 months. I was happy when I unpacked and had both an excuse to find the location of my new post office and a reason to send a present in the mail. Who doesn’t love surprises in the mail? (Not orders from the online behemoth, but real letters and gifts.)
Unlike my previous placemat sets, I did not head straight for the scrap bin but instead made a matching set of four. I enjoy the process of two color quilts because it allows me to really explore color pairings. Sure I have a color wheel and have taken on a very rudimentary understanding of color theory, but I really like to work intuitively and this is one example of just putting colors together and seeing what transpires. This four-pack is going to a home that has a clean design aesthetic and I think the somewhat muted colors will look great with either a wine glass or a sippy cup on top. It was, to quote the great Bob Ross, a happy accident that the colors I chose also happen to be similar to the colors of the Swedish national flag.
As I start to stitch my life together in a new place, I take solace in looking at my previous works, along with the treasured gifts I received from others, paired with the Anders song that keeps playing in my head. All of this transition, it IS going to be more than okay.
Quiltunes 