By Scott Hansen
Containment Field
Maybe it’s because I am a guy and I have the “Adam Complex” wherein I feel deeply compelled to name things. (I just looked it up. Officially, that is NOT what the Adam Complex is, but it should be, what with him having to name all the animals and such.)
I am constantly asking my wife what she calls her latest invented meal. So often in fact, that now she makes up a name as well as the meal to pacify me. A family favorite is “Chicken Surprise,” which ironically is made solely with beef. Another favorite of mine is “Popcorn Chicken,” which the kids named when they were little because they thought it tasted like popcorn. Silly kids; it tastes nothing like popcorn.
So it follows that I feel particularly compelled to name my quilts. Always. Even if it’s ugly and I hate it. I even have a special name reserved for my next ugly quilt —Wednesday Thursday Friday, written just like that. I have rarely not found a name for a quilt. Once I did send a quilt to a magazine for publication and told them, “I have no idea what to call this, feel free to name it for me.” It came back christened Grape Lime Fizz. I have no idea what a Grape Lime Fizz is, but it was a great name for it. And way better than my original name which was something lame based on the line of fabric. That’s not to say names based on the line of fabric in the quilt is bad. I just wrapped up three quilts for Quilt Market that I am very fond of: Containment Field, Square Knot, and Magic Carpet Ride. All three are named in relation to their respective fabric lines.
Often I have named a quilt for obvious reasons. Like the year I made a bear paw quilt with sawtooth borders and sashings, 1542 It had 1542 triangles in it. Or Lula’s Cat’s Cradle which was half Cat’s Cradle blocks created by my wife’s great grandmother and half Cat’s Cradle blocks by me trying to copy her style and look with reproduction prints. Sometimes the name is based on the inspiring moment or thought behind an idea. I was thinking of a friend’s brand new grandson the other day, and happened to come across the 23rd Psalm, and the part about lying down in green pastures and walking by still waters inspired a draft up of Dwell which comes from the last part of the psalm in regards to dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.
Square Knot
There are many great names to be had. I remember last year at Spring Market, I met the incredible Emily Cier for the first time, and she had the best names for her quilts. Dollop was the one that impressed me the most, and I asked her where she came up with such a great unique name for it. She shared a cool trick with me that I want to share with you. She said that she thinks about what it reminds her of in some way or another and then plugs that word into a thesaurus to see if there is a word out there that would make a great name. Isn’t that terrific? So you could take a simple quilt that reminds you of your home and come up with Names such as: Crib, Abode, Shanty, Flophouse, Dump…..okay well not all of them work great, but more options surface with this technique.
Another idea you might use is to name it after someone. Not necessarily because you are giving it to someone, but just because it reminds you of someone. The uber-talented Jennifer Paganelli names every print after a female relative or friend she has grown to love just from working in this industry. Scratch that, she did name one print Matt’s Tux after her son Matthew. She does that because she wants to include the many wonderful people she has come in contact with over the years into her everyday world of color and print. I have a quilt drafted up called Mrs.Butler’s Garden, after my dear friend Amy Butler and her love of gardening. Hopefully you will see that pattern for sale here on GenQ by the end of the year. And our very own Megan has a quilt named George. Go ask her about that one; I have no idea why.
So get out there and name your quilts. You need a name for the label anyway right? You DO label them don’t you? Of course you do! And hopefully you will come up with something better than Dump.
COMMENT #1
I like dump – maybe I’ll use that one 🙂 It could work in the right situation.
Happy Friday!
COMMENT #2
Great post Scott! I always have a hard time naming designs. I usually turn to my kids, they come up with some pretty funny stuff.
COMMENT #3
I think I have more WTF’s now than WIP’s, if you know what I mean……………
btw……I think a quilt of circles that was named Square Not would be fun too. Probably someone has done that already.
COMMENT #4
I have a serious obsession with naming my quilts (hence the blog name!). Even if I make two quilts that look exactly the same, I give them individual names. It’s a sickness!
COMMENT #5
I like your names! I always name my quilts, but many times the name just stays in my head and isn’t transferred to the label (usually because it’s a sappy-sentimental name and I can’t bear to share it). Wouldn’t it be a neat challenge to do it backwards: come up with a funky name, such as “Containment Field,” and have your readers submit their interpretations in fabric?!?
COMMENT #6
I name my quilts too – well at least the finished ones. Although I have had a quilt name in my head for, oh, 15 years or so, but have yet to make the quilt to go with it! I really like the thesaurus idea too….
COMMENT #7
love your containment field quilt – hope it becomes a pattern too!
COMMENT #
Sherry, Containment Field will be a FREE pattern coming up soon on Michael Miller Fabric’s Pattern Page soon!!
Look for it there, and then it will be free on my Blue Nickel Studios page soon after that!
COMMENT #8
Great article Scott – love the Containment Field quilt: the choice of fabrics are very funky.
Keep up the good work everyone – am loving everything about GenQ so far!
COMMENT #
Nice post. Dump could be an interesting choice…..it can mean so many different things. Thanks for the smile.