Thursday, May 16, 2013

Jacob's Window Quilt


The Bountiful temple was dedicated when I was a teenager. I helped with the open house and I remember thinking how beautiful and peaceful it was. I especially loved the stained glass windows. My tour guide described the design as influenced by native American designs and inspired by Jacob's vision of an angelic ladder in Genesis. (I'm not sure the inspiration by Jacob's Ladder part is true, as I've never heard anyone else refer to the window design that way.) I promised myself I would be back. I kept that promise and have been back many times. Several times I would find myself just staring at the windows. I loved the design and it occurred to me I could use a piece of the design and make a quilt. I first came up with a great queen sized design. Then I remembered, Oh yeah I still slept on a twin sized bed, and as nice as it would be to make another quilt for the unforeseeable future, I wanted a quilt I could use right away.



I was renting a room in a house with some awesome girls. I was in the mood for change and I decided to redecorate my bedroom as it was all I had to myself. I chose to use the colors found in this sweet little tissue paper sun I bought at an art fair.


 I color coordinated the whole room, I even  made new artwork for the walls and used these colors. I think I must have been feeling down, so I surrounded myself with bright warm colors. I made the quilt very light weight so I could use it year round. I bought lavender sheets so they would match. All the strips in the quilt are the same width, two inches not including the seam allowance. I used two reds, two yellows, one orange and one purple fabric. The colors in the temple windows change from top to bottom and from one window to another, but I couldn't afford that much time or fabric so I stuck with one set of colors. I may make another someday and have the colors change from one corner to the other.



The finished picture is a little blurry, but the quilt is a bit big for photographing indoors. 
The quilt is 88 x 61.5 inches.



I wanted to call the design Jacob's Ladder after the supposed inspiration for the window design, but that name is already claimed for a different quilt pattern. I decided to call it Jacob's Window. I entered it in the Bountiful Handcart Days Arts and Crafts Competition and won third place. The Bountiful temple is still very important to me. Alan and I were married there in 2011.



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