I’ve Got Your Back

Back in this post I told you about my cousin Melissa (Missy to me!) and her husband Derek and how as newlyweds they had to face the unthinkable. Derek went on his final journey on January 20, 2011. Missy has been unbelievably strong throughout all of this. Like I said before, she is an old soul, I really admire her.

Shortly after he passed she contacted me via Facebook and asked if I made quilts. She had an idea and wanted help. I immediately, without hesitation offered my services in whatever way I could. Her idea was to make a quilt using Derek’s old dress shirts. She had some images of modern quilts she had seen and liked. She left the rest up to me. I told her to pack them up along with any other accent fabric and backing fabric she wanted used and I’d take  it from there.

The box of fabric and shirts arrived right after our big snow storm last week. I laundered the new fabrics and started gestating ideas. Today is Valentine’s Day, the day for lovers (and angry, cynical, single people, but that is another post.) What better day to get started on this very special project? I thought I’d make a few test squares and post a picture on Facebook for Missy to see and get her reaction. Of course in my usual style, one or two test squares became 4 or 5. But now I have an idea of how to proceed.

 

There are strange and interesting things outside of the cutting and sewing that are happening while I’m working on this project. I never met Derek in person, never even had an online conversation with him. All I know of him has come from Missy’s posts and stories shared of their life together. But I feel him as I work on this project. Back when we were first married I used to iron Steve’s dress shirts for him every week. It may sound gross but when you iron a person’s shirt, you can smell them in the steam. I don’t mean to say that Missy sent me funky shirts. Not at all, but they do hold an essence of Derek. I think that is kind of the idea of the quilt.

Also when I’m working I usually listen to my iPod. Sometimes I listen to various podcasts and sometimes music. Today I was in a My Chemical Romance mood. At first songs from their Welcome to the Black Parade album didn’t seem at all appropriate, and a little creepy and weird.

But then there was this one:

To carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches

On and on….

Or from my favorite MCR song, Famous Last Words:

'Cause I see you lying next to me
With words I thought I'd never speak
Awake and unafraid
Asleep or dead
I am not afraid to keep on living
I am not afraid to walk this world alone
Honey if you stay, I'll be forgiven
Nothing you can say can stop me going home

Don’t know if Derek or Missy were/are MCR fans but someone was sending me a message. I’m going to try to continue to post progress, images and impressions as I work on this project.

Edited to add: I'm calling this quilt the "I've got your back" quilt. Partly for the play on words because it is made out of shirts and because I have the feeling that Missy and Derek really did have eachother's backs.

Happy Valentine’s Day.