Jan 01, 2022

Heirloom Hearts: Shooting the Quilt Breeze

by Jordan Willis

“Can we go where we saw the Grinch?” Caroline asks from her car seat.

Jason and I look at one another, our wheels turning in an effort to understand what she meant. Jason circles the truck around our local town square and responds to her request. My thoughts return to the specific color of brick I'd mentioned to shoot THE shot of my Heirloom Hearts quilt. Instead of my brick, Caroline had spotted Your Pie, a locally founded Pizzeria.

We soon realize that she was referring to the past weekend where she enjoyed an early supper of pizza and orange Hi-C followed by a tree lighting and marshmallow roast. Seeing Your Pie triggered a memory of the greatest night of her three years on Planet Earth. Never mind that Santa was in town taking toy requests, The Grinch, who’d long captured her tiny heart, was in town.

I’ll never forget how her blue eyes sparkled as they followed the moving glimmer of green through the crowd. Or the sweet, funny moment they met. Of course she wanted to eat at Your Pie. Jason reassured her that we would go after we took photos of Mama's quilt but unfortunately Mr. Grinch was back at home on his mountain.

heirloom hearts quilt pattern

The photo session for this quilt was a breeze. Literally. We’d started at our neighborhood pond battling 85 mph winds. Well, not quite 85 but close. Naturally, I would choose the windiest day in months to photograph a quilt.

Remind me to remind you to check your weather forecast when testing quilts. Schedule all duties around that forecast and I mean it. Case in point: The below photo signals distress, don't you think? (Insert laughing/crying face emoji here.)

I managed to capture a few decent photos but my brain simply could not see past the dead leaves in the foreground (or my hunky husband's calves, mind you.) And since I wasn’t up for throwing on a backpack blower in the name of a quilt photo shoot, I suggested that we head to town.

Not surprisingly, yet surprisingly, Jason was game. Partly because holding my quilt was also a metaphorical breeze. He’d previously gifted me Classy Clamps (wooden quilt wall hangers) and had the idea to fashion them to a 1" x 2" x 8" cut and screwed together into the shape of a T.

This way, he'd only have to hold the one piece of wood and the clamps would secure the quilt. It was a cheap and brilliant idea. Nary a curse word was muttered during this photoshoot. Even as we battled hurricane-force winds.

Thank you, lumber. Thank you, clamps.

heirloom hearts by lo & behold stitchery

When we arrived at the first brick location, I thought I was in Heaven. I remember commenting about how happy I was to have chosen the green. How Melody's quilting shined. How brick makes everything better.

I snapped a few shots and declared it good. But Jason pushed me to go to one more location.

I protested, concerned about taking up too much time while keeping a hungry baby close by, but he insisted. "It will take just a second," he said.

We hopped back into the truck, buckled a 3 year old as fast as one can and drove to the other side of the square. Jason maneuvered through back roads and pulled around to the rear of a building I'd rubbernecked earlier in our quest (psssst.... some husbands pay attention, you just have to give them a chance.)

While he and Caroline stood behind my quilt, I quickly captured these. Winds picked up again, I sighed relief and then we took Caroline for her celebratory pizza.