Look at Miss Ohio

Have you ever loved an inanimate object? Have you have had something you cherished as if it were someone? I certainly have — Bishop the 1984 VW Westfalia camper van. Even as a youngin, I dreamed of having my own camper and my wish came true with Bishop. Oh, what joy that vehicle brought to my life! I spent so many precious nights nestled among redwood groves, on lake shores, in the woods, near the Pacific ocean, on riverbanks and desert canyons. We had so many adVANtures together! Not to mention all of the “Vanksgivings” we shared. In hindsight, the love I felt for that van was very similar to the level of affection I’ve had for pets. Bold statement, I know.

The first summer Bishop and I teamed up, we spent nearly every weekend touring around Central Oregon where my now husband was stationed. Bishop was amazing in many ways but mountain passes were not exactly its thing, so my trips were always poky. I do, however, want to pause here for a quick shoutout to the most incredible 4 speed manual transmission ever that shifted so smoothly. Initially when I bought the van, I had to accept very quickly that van travel is completely different than driving a standard car, especially a “mature” van like Bishop (with an original engine). Bishop forced me to slow down and enjoy the journey, savor the scenery and truly listen to the tunes on my stereo. Not everyone appreciated my vehicle’s slow pace, so to combat some of the bad vibes I received from other drivers, I strung up small prayer flags in the rear window to promote peace behind me. Slow isn’t for everyone.

Speaking of taking your time, I started this quilt at the very beginning of the pandemic, when Covid was a mysterious illness happening somewhere else. I had no idea this quilt would wind up being a project that spanned several years of my life. I don’t often gravitate toward large pattern projects, but there was something about this design that grabbed my attention. Thankfully I had already procured the fabric and committed to this quilt before I read the pattern thoroughly because this quilt contains a staggering amount of pieces, all in 1/8 inch increments to boot. Special thanks to the LQQ group who supported and encouraged me through the fabric cutting process during our retreat. It is amazing to have friends who don’t let you give up on tough quilt patterns!

Once the millions of pieces were cut, it became apparent that this quilt was the perfect project when Covid became real here in the States. During those early weeks when we were all so scared and life changed by the hour, this project became meditative for me. After a few weeks of frantic mask masking, this very detailed quilt became a balm where I could sit at my machine, with some good tunes on and sew half-square triangles for hours on end. Life was under control during that space and time. Although this quilt took me over 3 years to finish, I was reminded of the beauty in slowing down throughout every stage of the process. I found peace and calm every time I stitched. Although I tend to complete every project I start, I never wanted to rush the finish of this quilt. I knew inherently that it would get done at the right time.

This quilt took its time getting to our bed, in large part, because it is all hand quilted. That’s right everyone — every single stitch on this quilt is made by my hand. I do not have a large quilt frame, so I would drape this beauty over my lap and work from the comfort of my couch. (I utilized a small frame on occasion, but with a quilt of this size, I found the hoop cumbersome.) Although it is a simpler quilt design which outlines each piece, aka stitch in the ditch, the reality is that it took me much longer to create versus an all-over design. I wanted the quilting to support the block design, if that makes sense. One element I especially love are the free form braids I stitched on the outer border of the quilt. Looking at a complex queen sized bed quilt and knowing that my hands made every stich is akin to seeing a mountain you’ve climbed and knowing what it looks like on the top. A mountain that took 3.5 years to climb!

Due to the frequency of my trips, an organic routine emerged between Bishop and me, including the soundtrack of our journeys. Although I’ve owned Gillian Welch’s album Soul Journey since 2003, I became obsessed with it during this time and always started off my trips with that album. This quilt is named “Look at Miss Ohio”, the first song of off Gillian Welch’s Soul Journey because a) it is truly one of the greatest songs ever written and b) this quilt has an abundance of Ohio Star blocks. Gillian Welch’s Soul Journey will always remind me of being in the van, driving slowly over the mountain pass to meet my beloved and explore. Soul Journey is also one of my desert island albums, even when I’m only allowed a handful. I could go on and on and on about how much I love Gillian, but instead I encourage you to take a listen for yourself and see why she is so admired and loved. Gillian Welch is an artist that embraces the traditional and the modern, just like this quilt.

If you are wondering what Bishop is up to now, well for the last 6 years, it has continued its best van life with a former colleague/friend of mine and her husband. They still love it and kept its name, too! The van will continue to provide a whole lot of joy well into its 4th decade. I get sentimental over certain things of mine (e.g. van, sea kayak, sewing machines, blankets) and when the time comes to move on, I wonder if what is hard about parting with the actual item isn’t about the thing itself but instead what the item represented. Bishop was a big part of my life, my identity, and let’s be honest here, my paycheck for seven years. Although my imagined letting go was harder than the actual release itself; once I saw them in the camper with ear-to-ear grins I knew they had found the same happiness I had.

Look at Miss Ohio the quilt will cover our bed and provide comfort for decades to come. It will always be a part of my life from here on out and I am already extremely attached to it. I am so excited that this quilt is real, it is done, it can be used. Now our entire bedroom design is centered around this beautiful quilt, which adorns the bed and headboard handcrafted by my husband from a raw edge piece of fir. Taking it slow allowed me to really enjoy the whole process of this quilt. On that note, this cozy bed is calling my name and it is time to indulge in my first sleep underneath this gorgeous quilt.

Albums listened to: Gillian Welch Revival, Time the Revelator, The Harrow & Harvest, Soul Journey, Hell Among the Yearlings.

This pattern is the Starlight pattern designed by Jessica Dayon from the April 2020 edition of All People Quilt magazine.