Quilts and Crafts
Back in January my mother asked if I wanted to go to QuiltCon with her, which I thought sounded like an excellent idea!
My mother has always had a way with fabric. When I was a child, she would make a lot of my clothes. Today she spends a great deal of her creative time quilting. My mother has a mathematical and scientific mind, in addition to an eye for beauty. These attributes are clearly expressed in her creations.
Inspired by our impending adventure and her many works of art, this month I was moved to pair quilts with craft brews.
“One in a Million” and Snowpocalypse
My first quilt and craft paring was inspired by the magnificent Snow Moon we had last night; my first quilt pairing is my mother’s snowflake quilt. She titled it “One in a Million.” She completed this project in January 2020 using the Snowflake Pattern by Nicole Daksiewicz.
We live in the south, so we’re generally not well prepared for winter weather. We haven’t gotten a big snow this year, but we did get a pretty dusting. Anytime they call for snow or ice in our area, people flock to the grocery stores, the bread and milk aisles go bare, and we get barely enough snow to cover the roads. Regardless, people drive crazy and act crazy. I’m guessing this phenomenon inspired Snowpocalypse by Durty Bull Brewing Company. This is an Imperial Brown Ale (7.5%) brewed with Joe Van Gogh coffee and maple syrup. If you like a cup of Joe with a stack of maple drenched pancakes, this is the brew for you, snow or not.
“Common Threads” and Rocket Science
What you might not have known about me, but probably could have guessed is that I’m a huge science nerd. My undergrad degree is in Biology and my master’s is in Ecology with a focus in Biogeochemistry. If I could go back to school I absolutely would, and likely for genetics. I LOVE genetics. I had seen this fabric and thought it was so amazing! I wish I could remember the fabric line to share it with you.
My mother went above and beyond with this quilt. While you can see all the neat fabrics in the squares on the front, she added a double helix shape on the back!!! She included even more detail by repeating double helix shapes across the horizontal frames and polypeptide chains along the vertical frames! My mother appropriately entitled this quilt “Common Threads.”
Naturally when I saw Rocket Science (7% ABV and 85 IBU) from Fullsteam Brewing, I had to pair it with this quilt. Not only did the name of this beer fit with the theme, but the colors went perfectly. This was a really fun pour too. The high protein content in this IPA made the most magnificent fluffy head! This is the third beer I’ve tried from Fullsteam and they delivered once again!
“Free Spirit Block Party” and Pinot Grigio
For this pairing I veered from beer into wine, which I actually know very little about. My mother loves Pinot Grigio. So while on a hunt for a quilt paring beverages I thought she might enjoy, I found this absolutely gorgeous can! The can art immediately reminded me of a quilt my mother completed with blocks from her modern quilt guild. They all used fabrics from Free Spirit and passed boxes of their fabrics around for each member to make a square. The quilt is fittingly entitled “Free Spirit Block Party.” I am crazy about this quilt and try to sneak it out with me about every other time I visit her. The colors are beyond fantastic! One of my favorite squares has a hidden death moth (that was part of one of the fabric designs). I love that every time I look at this quilt I see something new!
Crafters Union Pinot Grigio was bright and refreshing, which was perfect following this shoot in the sun and wind.
Sunflowers and Vitus
As it’s one of my favorite beets, I paired this Weizenbock with a very special quilt. My great grandmother, on my father’s side, made these sunflower quilt squares from flour sacks. When I was about ten years old, like everyone else in the nineties, I was really into sunflowers. So naturally, my very thoughtful mother took the sunflower squares and made a quilt for my bed. I still love sunflowers and this quilt is still one of my most cherished. Like me, this quilt unites both sides of my family and as there is German on both sides of my family, I chose one of my favorite German beers for this pairing.
Weihenstephaner’s Vitus is easily one of the best Weizenbock beers I have ever tasted. I’m always happy to see the thick fluffy head and golden color. The fruity and spice aromas evoke special memories too. It might be the clover and banana (isoamyl acetate) that remind me of baking banana bread as a child. Sipping this beer is comforting, like a hug from the women in my family, like wrapping up in my sunflower quilt.
“Dresden Plate 1” and Untitled Art. Hard Seltzer
My next pairing was centered around a small wall quilt my mother gave me for my birthday in March of 2020. At the time, I did know what a bright spot that quilt would be as it came to me right before the pandemic lockdown. I love everything about this quilt. Each of the fabrics are patterns that I adore from fantastic fabric designers I admire (like Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett). The colors in the main design and the tiny pops of color in the background give me so much joy.
Pairing this quilt with something delicious from Untitled Art seemed like a no brainer. I’m not big on hard seltzers. I haven’t found many that I particularly like, but every hard seltzer I have had from Untitled Art has been a complete smash! Untitled Art uses real fruit in the Florida Seltzers and I think this is key in making them all delectable. The Prickly Pear Guava I paired with this quilt is juicy and fruity without being overly sweet, and is reminiscent of a mimosa. I think it would go wonderfully with brunch. It also was a wonderful complement to my quilt at sunset.
“Pepper Pots” and Skillet
I had the opportunity to snag some of Burial’s Skillet donut stout (6% ABV and 55 IBUs) on a recent trip to Asheville, NC. I had it on draft (and it was served with a donut), it was so delicious I bust to bring some cans home with me. Skillet is everything I want in a rich pastry stout. The lactose is not overpowering and the flavors I want (coffee, chocolate, and oat) are robust!
I always enjoy Burial’s can art by David Paul Seymour. This particular can art reminded me of this quilt “Pepper Pots,” my mother competed during a workshop on the “Drunkard’s Path” taught by Pepper Cory in 2018. This quilt hangs in my bedroom and I absolutely love the colors. The Skillet can really pops next to the Kaffe Fassett purples in this quilt.
Feather and Wayfarer
Here’s my last Quilt and Craft pairing before heading to QuiltCon!
I asked my mother to pick the last quilt and she choose this feather wall quilt done in white and blues. It was actually perfect as blues and whites make me think of her.
My mother likes IPAs, so I chose Wayfarer (6% ABV and 70 IBUs) from Green Man. This is a classic American Style IPA brewed with Citra & Simcoe hops. My mother’s first impression: “it smells like beer!”
I really enjoyed finding inspiration in my mother’s quilts! I can’t wait to check out QuiltCon and see where our next projects take us!
