MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

BY AMY STEWART WINSOR
 
SIZE:  81 inches high, 66 inches wide
 
YEAR MADE:  2001
 
PUBLICATIONS:

NQA magazine,"Quilting Quarterly",Winter 2001, p. 19.
AQS Quilt Art Engagement Calendar, 2003
Great American Quilts 2003
Quilts A World of Beauty, Winter 2003
The Cary News, Apr. 10, 2003
 
AWARDS AND HONORS:
Viewer's Choice, World Quilt & Textile, Greensboro, NC, 2002
Viewer's Choice, Capital Quilters Guild quilt show, Raleigh, NC, 2002
Viewer's Choice, Durham-Orange Guild quilt show, Chapel Hill, NC, 2002
First Place, Large Wallhangings, Capital Quilters Guild quilt show, 2002
Judge's Special Recognition for Humor, Capital Quilters Guild quilt show, 2002
Honorable Mention, Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, Williamsburg, VA, 2002
Judges Recognition for Humor, National Quilting Association, Tulsa, 2001
Second Place, National Quilting Association, Tulsa, 2001
 
FABRICS: Cotton, lame, Soft Touch cotton batting
 
THREADS: Cotton, rayon, metallic
 
EMBELLISHMENTS: beads, sequins,  jewelry, buttons, embroidery floss, ricrac, miscellaneous trims, crocheted doors and dandelions
 
TECHNIQUES: "Heat n Bond" fusible machine applique, "Easy Tear" stabilizer, machine piecing, couching, hand quilting, machine quilting, hand embroidery
 
ABOUT THE QUILT:

(This is one of two quilts which were vandalized by bleach at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX, Nov. 2002. It has subsequently been repaired.)

I am constantly frustrated at the demands our society places upon me to keep my house presentable.  I am mystified by the ideals portrayed in magazines and television, and wonder if any real person ever keeps a house looking so neat.

The center panel of my quilt says, "If you want to see me, come over anytime.  If you want to see my house, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT." This accurately states my attitude about my house.  With six children, my husband and I have often referred to me as the Old Woman in the Shoe, who had so many children she didn't know what to do.

The first border includes many of the phrases with which we, as women, have been indoctrinated.  Most of these, for me, are hopelessly unreachable.

I have filled the outer border with my many reasons for failing to maintain a beautiful showcase home.  All the little day-to-day requirements that fill up all my time, and frustrate my lofty goals, are written in machine stitching in the haphazardly-pieced sky above all the cute little houses.

The quilt's theme is that no matter how embarassed I am about the state of my house, life goes on.  The sun still shines, the flowers (and dandelions) still bloom, and I can still accept myself and be happy as I deal with everyday emergencies, annoyances, and maintenance which could drive me crazy.

--Amy Stewart Winsor

Here is a list of all the words and phrases I machine-quilted onto the quilt:

The Inner Border:

Maintain my girlish figure.
Spend quality time with our children.
Shampoo your carpet today, entertain guests tonight.
Cover the grey.
Volunteer with the PTA.
Purchase name-brands.
Multi-task.
Display that perfect centerpiece.
Color-coordinate the bedding.
Make a fashion statement.
Keep up with the Joneses.
Pursue a career.

The Outer Border:

Make macaroni and cheese again, disinfect, prepare taxes, change sheets, avoid Martha Stewart, wipe off handprints, pick up the kids, get groceries, scour the tub, mop kitchen, scrub, unclog the drain, find the lunch money, fix the dryer, stay out of debt, change filters, take down the Christmas lights, answer the phone, take out trash, sort the laundry, pay bills, give up completely, carpool, do the dishes, run errands, find keys for husband, plan menus, plunge toilet, turn off the television, get a mammogram, tell kids "no!", replace lightbulbs, clip coupons, sort junk mail, turn off the lights, schedule dentist appointments, buy birthday gift, thaw meat, take a shower, cross items off list, floss,write note to teacher, vacuum, read the owner's manual, check email.