Space Oddity

Like many folks, I have very mixed emotions about social media and its effects on society. As a late adoptee of the medium, I was encouraged by an artistic friend to join Instagram after hearing about all of the amazing artists — and connections — she discovered via the platform. Damn was she ever right about the breadth of creativity and artistic expression out there! I have unearthed some unbelievable inspiration that I am not sure I would have discovered otherwise. Social media has many, many, many faults (don’t get me started on the egregious targeted advertising), but I’ve also found true substance too. My foray has opened my eyes to all of the people out there making phenomenal stuff and stretching their creative limits. It is also a medium I’ve learned to consume in moderation (which is key as it was literally designed to be addictive), so it can encourage me and my craft. Instagram is a total time vacuum, so moderation always and forever.

One of the greatest things about social media is that you can follow the Hubble telescope, International Space Station and the Mars Rover! Quick digression, does this mean I am “friends” with the space equipment, or would the space equipment also have to follow me to be “friends”? Obviously, I have no clue how this all works. Anyhow, for a nerd like me to see space pics daily almost makes up for all of the other nonsense out there. Remember when we would have to go the planetarium just to see a picture of Saturn’s rings? Images from the Hubble alongside pictures of quilts = dream come true. In moderation.

It seems that we are living in prime space time — and not just because the gazillionaires are trying to out rocket one another instead of spending their money fixing the problems they created on earth. Anyone else out there a PBS science program aficionado? Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the fantastic collection of very ambitious and enthusiastic scientists explaining all of the recent discoveries. These very hip, very dynamic experts provide excellent information and yet, I still have so many questions. Just contemplating the size and age of space is mind blowing. The benefit of following the space equipment on social media is you can just zone out on the awesome photos without trying to understand how it all works.

For the last year, I have been on a quest to de-blinds our house. Metal blinds are aesthetically harsh, and especially so when they are stained, bent and don’t fold properly. Note to house seekers out there: if you go into a home and all of the blinds are up for “maximum light” per the realtor, you may also want to see if the blinds are actually in working order. Unfortunately sewing curtains makes me fantastically crabby, like hypoglycemia compounded with an Air Supply song stuck in my head level grouchy. At first glance curtains appear innocuous and simple, surely easier than say making a quilt or garment construction, but let me assure you, those panels are deceptive. Well, at least for me. A big part of why curtains are so hellacious is because they require a boatload of fabric to make and I continually insist upon buying fabric from thrift stores that can be repurposed and is made of dubious fiber content. Thus, I wind up with materials that appear usable until they start devolving into a million threads upon impact with a rotary blade. Or, fabrics that melt on the lowest iron setting. And, last but not least, fabrics that jam up the feed dogs of the sewing machine and create a knot whose extrication is akin to precision surgery. Why go through all of this heartache for window coverings? Because broken blinds are demoralizing.

Space Oddity is a curtain for the last remaining window with broken blinds. This window leads out our side door and sits at the top of our basement stairs. The window provides a frequent view, especially during working hours, because our offices are in the basement and all of the snacks live upstairs. I could have made a quick-ish curtain for this window, but I decided that a thin quilt curtain (a quiltain!) would jazz up the drab stairwell. Space Oddity is my first very quilt using an improvisational curved piece design. I recently took an online class with Carole Lyles Shaw and her technique really demystified the shape for me. Between the curves and the daily dose of space pics, I conjured up an idea to create planet shapes using leftover dark fabric and batik scraps. I also wanted the planets to appear to glow with the outside light from behind. I needed the curtain to be lightweight, so instead of using thick quilt batting in between the front and back, I used scraps of muslin basted together. I 100% do NOT recommend doing this, especially if quilting by hand. For the hand quilting, I used glow-in-the-dark (right?!) polyester thread in simple echoes of the planet shape. I had such a hard time stitching that I kept the design very minimal. I admit to not being thrilled with the hand quilting, so at some point, there may be an overhaul. That said, I am thrilled with how the space idea and the shapes turned out; I can see myself maximizing this design on a large, traditional quilt.

My space quilt curtain has but one musical accompaniment — David Bowie. When I think of space music, I think of Bowie. (Apologies to Black Mold, my go-to space music isn’t Shatner. Shame on me.) What I love about David was how fantastically unique he was and how he never stopped evolving. Personally my favorite iteration is “Space Bowie” (yeah sorry Rachel, I know how much you love “Labyrinth Bowie”) and Ziggy Stardust. He wrote so many weird space songs! There is so much to say about David and his impact on popular music, art, culture and fashion; Bowie is a forever icon.

This project reminded me that creative inspiration abounds in unexpected places, and also that things may not always work out how you imagine. Difficult hand stitching aside, Space Oddity was a very fun quiltain to make and I am positive more curved designs are in the quiltunes future. However once I actually hung the quilt, it doesn’t appear it will actually work as a curtain due to the large gap between the fabric and glass where cold/hot air will seep in. My curtain to-do list may still have one more task. I will let Space Oddity make me smile on my snack runs for the next week and see what it evolves into. Fret not, Space Oddity will live another life as, perhaps a table runner. For now I am thrilled that I will never catch my backpack on the broken blinds again. Seriously, this was an issue as the feral cat Frankie got into our house twice by sneaking in while we were busy untangling ourselves. Space Oddity was an experiment in designing new shapes, using a different filler and constructing something outside of my norm. Every quilt and project of mine is both an experiment and a lesson. In conclusion, I’d like to leave you with the greatest words every spoken by an alien (E.T.) “Be good.”

P.S. If you are not on social media, congratulations and stay true!

Albums listened to: David Bowie “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust”, “Heroes”, “Legacy”.