Project Quilting 14.4 {A Novel Project}

This week for Project Quilting, we were tasked with being inspired by a book we have read. When I worked full time as an engineer, I was an avid reader. I would devour books in the evenings as an escape from the stresses of the work day. I have fond memories of long hours spent in a bath soaking in warmth and being lost in the pages of a (good/decent/interesting/exciting/amazing) book.

These days, I don’t read many books, but I sure listen to a lot of audiobooks, and the time spent listening to an audiobook is my favorite time of day. Just before going to bed, my husband and I turn on our speaker and listen to a chapter (or three) of an audiobook. It’s a tradition we started when we were traveling in 2019, and it’s such a lovely way to unwind together. So, my project this week is not so much inspired by any specific book, but by our evening audiobook routine.

Bucca-Bow Reference Image

We call our bluetooth speaker the “Bucca-Bow” because of the distinctive power on and power off sounds it makes. I snapped a quick reference photo of the speaker on my desk, and then printed the image out to use as a template for some raw edge applique.

Bucca-Bow Mug Rug

I pieced a black and off-white scrap together to recreate the background, then I glue basted a solid blue fabric trimmed out to the speaker shape on top. I also used the reference image to place a small red scrap in the correct location. After quilting around the perimeter of the speaker, I quilted the inner edges of the larger, smooth sections, and then I quilted a dense crosshatch to mimic the distinctive woven portion of the speaker. I didn’t particularly spend a lot of time quilting the brand information onto the red scrap of the speaker, but it’s there to secure the scrap in place.

Bucca-Bow Mug Rug

The mug rug finished at 6 1/2″ wide by 4 1/2″ tall, and it worked as a Valentine’s Day gift for my husband. It is now in use on his desk, and I’m looking forward to turning on the real Bucca-Bow tonight to listen to the next chapter in our mind’s eye movie (we are currently just starting to listen to Horus Rising). We are really into “space soap operas” and some favorites include:

• the entire Thrawn Star Wars series,
• the Dune prequel trilogy,
• Ender’s Shadow, and
• the Ancillary series by Ann Leckie.

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A post shared by Yvonne Fuchs (@quiltingjetgirl)

I recorded the sounds of the speaker turning on and off for the Instagram Reel above, in case you don’t know the distinctive power on and power off sounds that I’m talking about.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you. May you find delight, joy, and love in your day!

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday.