Wake Up Call Pattern Tester: Stacey Day

Incomplete by Stacey Day, made using the #wakeupcallquilt pattern

I recently mentioned that I was trialing a new style of patterning where I release templates that can be used in multiple ways, putting creativity back in the hands of the maker. Early polling indicates this strategy isn't going to be a roaring runaway financial success, but it already feels like a winner.

Today, I'd like to show you a project from Stacey Day of Stacey Day Quilts who helped test the Wake Up Call pattern. Stacey has to be one of the most prolific quilters that I know. Many of her projects are under wraps as she's designing quilts for upcoming fabric ranges. When she's not doing that, she is turning out quilts left and right to enter in contests and exhibit. I was thrilled when she asked me to test the Wake Up Call pattern.

Incomplete by Stacey Day, made using the #wakeupcallquilt pattern

My hope with my new patterns is that people will use the blocks in creative ways to personalize their quilts; but I hadn't expected someone to create a strong narrative in the first finished quilt. In her own words:

"Incomplete was made at a time when I was not myself and had a major disconnect from everything that used to make me happy. At the same time as I made the first block, my friend called about a death in the family. Helping her process the emotional fallout made me realize what I was personally going through. It was as if a dam broke inside of me, and for the first time in months I was able to feel like myself. This quilt illustrates that empty, disconnected feeling through layout, fabric choices and quilting."

I've recently borrowed a friend's copies of the Why Quilts Matter DVD and The Great American Quilt Revival. Both speak about our need to create, the way we create narrative in quilting through our designs, our fabric choices, fabric availability and through our creative choices, just as Stacey mentioned. Her quilt is a beautiful reminder that we aren't just making functional homewares. Quilts let us share our joy, but they also let us share our grief.

Needless to say I'm humbled that Stacey was able to use the Wake Up Call pattern to tell her story. Thank you, Stacey, for testing the pattern; but more importantly, thank you for sharing your story with us.

Find out more about Stacey and see some of her latest projects at her blog Stacey in Stitches, look for her at Vancouver area quilting events or visit her on Instagram @staceyinstitches.

The Wake Up Call block pattern is available in my pattern stores at Craftsy or Etsy.