The Quilt of Pi

Ever since I got into quilting, finding time to read has been difficult.  When I am not working or running errands, I am mostly sewing and by the time I get to bed, I can barely keep my eyes open.  Therefore the discovery of audiobooks has been an absolute joy.  I can listen while I sew!!!

It is a finish

My last audiobook was "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel.  It is a fantastic book and I loved every word of it. Here is my favorite quote from the book.

"Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims."

Oh, I wish I could convey how much I love these words.
Whereas we too often focus on our differences and let those difference divide us, this one sentence in a funny, simple, and heart-warming way says that we are all the same in our capacity for love, devotion and surrender to God.

These words make me want to go hug the world and everyone in it.  So, I made a quilt.

Fabric Scraps (from the free table at the guild meeting)

They say that one man's meat is another man's poison. Fabrics scraps abandoned by one quilter are a goldmine for me. Thanks to the free table at the guild meetings.

These turquoise and red scraps (left at the free table) beckoned to me. I added some fabric from my own stash and tried to construct 5" squares and 5" by 2.5" rectangles from the scraps.

Piecing into 5" squares

I used this pattern from Elizabeth Hartmann to make a baby quilt. The dark teal/aqua solid came from my stash.

Finished at 41" by 43"

...and back

The backing is so adorable.  Recently acquired this piece from a friend who is destashing. The wavy lines made for a fast and easy quilting.

Winnie the Pooh as a Fire Chief

Turquoise & Red

Striped Binding is my favorite

The red and white striped binding works beautifully with both the front and the back.

Did I forget the label?

Can you see it?

Do you see it now?

There it is :-)

Love this shot!

And then Paul began to read the post from behind my shoulder.

Paul: Does the book "Life of Pi" have anything to do with this quilt?
Me: Dunno. Maybe Pi could have used a quilt to comfort him.
Paul: Maybe.
Me: Maybe the turquoise blue of the quilt represents the ocean, the pink and the red represent the life (life of Pi and also Richard Parker's) and the cream could represent the boat that carried them both for almost seven months.
Paul: I know that you can quilt, but boy can you spin a yarn!
Me: You can call me a Quilter or a Spinner of Yarn. But I am calling this the Quilt of Pi.

Quilt of Pi

Paul: But what do these words - hairless Christians, bearded Hindus, and hat wearing Muslims - have anything to do with this quilt?
Me: Don't you agree that the overarching themes of the book are survival and belief in God?
Paul: I agree.
Me: So you see my point.
Paul: I don't.
Me: Well, Pi could neither see Jesus or Allah. Yet, he was a believer.
Paul: I still don't get the connection to the quilt.
Me: Well, do you like the quilt?
Paul: It is nice.
Me: Did you like the book - Life of Pi?
Paul: I only saw the movie. 
Me: That is why you don't get it. Aren't you getting late for your game?
Paul: Oh yes. Gotta go.

That was how that discussion ended. But our discussion has just begun. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas, as always.  I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.