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A Page from My Book: Journal Quilts 2007 - Journal Quilt Project

Melissa L Devin
Bothell, Washington
USA

“One Hundred and Fifty Reasons: Results Not Typical”

Creative Quilting techniques used: Beading (pg 155); Fabric Printing (pg 158); fabric/organza overlay(pg 174)

This journal quilt project was a year in the making. It doesn’t end at this point either. This quilt represents a year in my life with the one subject that is with me nearly 24hrs a day: dieting. I created a graph.

No strip piecing took place! Approx 780 rectangles make up the graph… give or take a few. 52 columns by 15 rows. Each row is equal to 10 pounds, and of course each column represents one week out of the year. The “mountain” represents my weekly weigh-in “numbers”. I like to see my progress visually, and graphs have always been the method to see this. As I work through the year, the reality is that I ended up gaining 20lbs.

So, the journal quilt evolved. I found no less than 150 diet fads and programs that mostly involved only taking supplements or pills. Some plans are admittedly better than others which many have had great success. I printed these “methods” on organza and fused it to my mountain.

The thought came to mind: I wonder how many dollars have been tossed to these companies? I purposely did not add exercise equipment, which seemed too obvious of a weight loss method, and not “fast” enough to add to my “quick fixes”.

I ended the quilt with my snail trail blocks. The reality is now that I have finally gotten into my groove of diet and exercise, I am losing weight. It will be slow going… just like the snail. But my goal is to reach a healthy weight, and not with all the diet pills and fad diets that have been plastered to my mountain over the years. If anything, those simply added the extra pounds to my thighs.