It is a strange thing when a place you know intimately becomes part of a skewed national narrative, so sideways from the city you know well. By now the current situation in Portland, Oregon is daily news. Portland happens to be where I spent my most formative years, a city that really helped me grow and become the woman I am today. It is a place I am still deeply connected to, through beloved lifelong friendships, my employment and specialized medical experts. There is so much about what is happening there that is just plain wrong and it causes great heartache. When troops were first ordered to the city, I saw a post on social media asking “Portland? You mean the city with emotional support llamas at the airport?”. And isn’t that the truth, the incongruity of it all.
My affection for Portland is not just based upon my fond memories and the folks I love that live there. My heart swells for the food carts, the trees, the bridges, the fact that you can get a world class cup of black coffee on every block, the plethora of vintage shops, Powell’s Books, bike lanes, sidewalks and last but certainly not least, the music. For me there is no musician more intricately linked with the city than Elliott Smith. Although there are so many noteworthy bands, like Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists, The Thermals, The Shins and Pink Martini, Elliott is synonymous with Portland for me. He was my first musical introduction to the place I would soon call home. (Gratitude to Susan for introducing me to Elliott back in 1996-ish.) From my first listen to his self-titled album, I was an instant fan. His lyrics are moody, deep and full of longing, and yes, despair. But they are so human and relatable. Look, I am a mostly positive person, but I also am an empath and appreciate the full breadth of emotions. Especially when they are written and sung about so beautifully. And with such conviction. His music is not for everyone; many people lament that it is too sad. But that’s the beauty of music, we can all find something that speaks to us.
Recently KEXP, the community radio stalwart out of Seattle, asked listeners to share their 20 favorite albums of all time. For a music lover like me, I never pass up on a chance to talk about records that mean so much to me. Because I am a nerd and have my desert albums list ready to discuss at any available opportunity, this was a super fun way to contribute to the effort. Once the results were tallied, I was pleased to see every Elliott Smith album on the list. Which demonstrates that his albums mean a whole lot to a great deal of musically obsessed folks, especially in the Pacific Northwest. It proves that even though he has been gone for 22 years, his music still matters and is important. Elliott’s legacy lives on.
This Portland centric baby quilt is for the latest addition to my circles of beloveds. I am over the moon excited for my friends’ growing family and the opportunity to be an auntie again. The first responsibility of being an auntie is making sure the baby is cozy, with a quilt. I like to believe that this quilt is the first component of his future blanket fort structure. The awesome half-square triangle based pattern is Summer Haze by Suzy Quilts. I know this may sound odd, but I often struggle with written patterns. And not because I don’t want to follow instructions! My hang up, I have deduced, is that I see this beautiful, interesting pattern with a gorgeous picture and that image stays with me as I navigate my own fabric choices. I feel less confident selecting my fabrics for a pattern than I do when I’m just winging it, freestyle flow-like. As in, are my choices going to be as good as this picture? Am I doing the pattern justice? I am so impressed by my friends who can see a quilt pattern and immediately know what fabrics to use in their creation. (Lisa M. I’m taking about my admiration of your quilts here! How you always make everything in your signature style that is organically You.)
Anywho, obviously I got over my creative qualms and, once again, found all of this fabric in my stash of scraps. I chose a palette that is calm and nature based, reminiscent of fall leaves for an autumnal baby. I am continually amazed at just how many quilts I continue to create out of materials I already have on hand. As I have written about before, one of the things I love the most about working with scraps is that there is a continuity and link created — a fabric appears in different quilts, for different people. I love this connection. In this case, fabrics from a quilt made for my parents make another appearance in a quilt for new parents. The binding is leftover from a wedding quilt to my sister and BIL. Huzzah! The real star of this quilt, however, is the Portland backing fabric. Serendipitously, I made the entire top first and then found this delightful fabric on Spoonflower. Never in my life have I matched something so perfectly. I am really impressed with myself. Ha! It was all meant to be.
Making this quilt gave me permission to get extra nostalgic about Portland, my time there and what the city means to me. I took several meandering trips down memory lanes, the majority of which were very positive. It was a bit of a catharsis. For alas, I did have to leave the place I loved for a multitude of reasons. To quote Oasis, “but don’t look back in anger” and I agree. I am thankful for the years I got to be a Portlander and ALL that I have experienced since. The city is a different place than when I departed, yet still retains so much of what makes it special. The economic divide there is real, just as it is everywhere in America. Yet there is still a strong undercurrent of creativity and uniqueness that cannot be taken away. I’m thankful for the strong connections I maintain and the opportunity to remain in the city’s orbit. My hope it that the godawful situation is over soon, and the city can heal from the travesty. That Portland can go back to being known for coffee, music, weirdness and roses. A city that fosters tons of creativity and leaves an imprint on peoples’ hearts.
Quiltunes 