After 16 long months, QUILLOW TALK is finally here!!
It began in November of 2020 when I embarked on a very ambitious collaborative split screen quilt making challenge video with Chip from The Fiber Hustle podcast. Initially, it was going to be THREE different challenges between the two of us, the first one having the two of us making quillows before moving on to the next challenge, to make a quilt using all the colors in the color spectrum. By July 2021, when my first challenge was already completed and I was well on my way to creating the next quilt with a beautiful line B&W and colored fabric . . . . . Chip informed me that the whole project was too overwhelming and he had to drop out. It WAS overwhelming! It IS overwhelming!! But I had invested too much time and energy in this endeavor to let it go. So . . . . I continued with both of these first projects and they were combined to be presented as "QUILLOW TALK" (which may help explain the cryptic metaphor with the lemonade in the first 20 seconds of the title sequence).
"Kaboom", the first challenge, was completed in May of last year, and I just wound up "Spectrum" last month, a whole year later. This is the year(s) of 'selfish quilts'. In the 40 years I've been quilting, I've only kept my first quilt I ever made for myself. I'm happy to say that I'm keeping BOTH of these!
The quilt/lapse video production is like nothing I've ever done before. It required a lot of work to create so many of these split screen shots. Essentially, what was always enough work for me to complete these videos in the first place . . . . now was multiplied by 2! Most every shot involved two productions going on at the same time.
But, boy oh boy . . . . did the end results ever pay off!! This easily has to be the most fun production I've ever completed for Quilting in the Fast Lane! Lots of Easter eggs in this one (if you want to look for 'em).
And in the end, I have two really fun quilts (quillows) to show for it!!
And, if at this point, you're still wondering what exactly a 'quillow' is, it's basically a quilt that folds up into a pillow, by using a strategically placed 'pocket' in the corner of the back that will allow you to 'fold & stuff' the whole quilt into a unique sofa accessory!
And finally, one last behind the scenes reveal; shot #89!
It's the second to the last shot in "Quillow Talk". It's only a second and a half long. But it was the most labor intensive and time consuming shot of the whole production. Simply, it's a shot of me folding the quilt into a quillow. But to make it work in this production, I had to mask out all the background in some compositing software with a series of dozens and dozens of control points and animation keyframes. It may not look like much . . . . but it took me three days to complete! Don't blink!
OK, so you and I have been waiting long enough!
Without further ado, I present to you . . . .
QUILLOW TALK
You never cease to amaze me, Todd! So beautiful, creative, and fun!