Friday, March 7, 2014

Hubcap Diamond Star Halo

Well, you're built like a car
You've got a hubcap diamond star halo
You're built like a car, oh yeah...

That song lyric was the inspiration for this quilt.  More specifically, it happened like this, as I related in my original post when I started this quilt way back in February 2012:

See, it all started as my husband and I were driving one day when the '70s classic T. Rex song, "Bang a Gong" came on the radio.  There are some strange lyrics in that song.  I wondered what the "teeth of the Hydra" or a "cloak full of eagles" had to do with anything, but more importantly, what a "hubcap diamond star halo" would look like.  My imagination went into overdrive.

"I want to make a quilt and call it Hubcap Diamond Star Halo," I told Norm while the song played on.  Talk about working backwards.  The name came first.

I knew it would have to have elements of '70s psycha-funka-delic style, and I probably just made that word up.  I was envisioning those bold, bright colors like Peter Max and H.R. Pufnstuf cartoons, and glam rocker and T. Rex front man himself, the late Marc Bolan.

You can read the rest of that post and see the video I made of the creation process.  Frustrating as it seemed at the time, in retrospect it was really pretty fun.

I finished the flimsy days later.  Days, people.  And then a couple years went by.  Years!  To quote the final line of "Bang a Gong," which Marc Bolan apparently borrowed from Chuck Berry:
Well, meanwhile, I'm still thinking....

Yep, thinking for like two years about how to quilt it (while doing a good job not thinking about it as well, as in not focusing on getting it done). Taking a fresh look at it earlier this year, I decided I had learned a couple things in the interim and was ready to tackle this particular UFO.  And so I did.

Well, you're windy and wild
You've got the blues in your shoes and your stockings 
You're windy and wild, oh yeah...
I ended up quilting the gentle arcs in the triangular prints with a walking foot.  Then I free motion quilted swirls and pebbles (mostly swirls) in the white space.
The fabric is from a fat quarter stack/quilt kit I found a few years ago at the thrift store, new in the box, marketed by Jo-Ann Fabric at some point in the not-too-distant past.  The binding is Alexander Henry's Heath, from a scrap I'd been hoarding saving.  It measures 36 x 36 inches.
The back is funky purple, pink, and orange, oh my!

And with that, I say Bang a Gong!

(Edited to add:  I did a post about how to make this quilt, which you can find HERE.)



March Finishes


14 comments:

Teresa in Music City said...

Wow - I love it! Reminds me of my hey-day as a teen in the 70's :) And I loved the story of how a song inspired you - a funky song with funky lyrics. Isn't creativity amazing??? It's the juice of life!

Sarah Craig said...

Oh, P., that is just spectacular!!! I want to make one - please tell me you can write up a pattern!!! Whoop whoop!!!

Sarah Craig said...

Oh, and I forgot - I love the way you quilted it!! Whoop whoop again!!

Anonymous said...

What an amazing quilt! I love how you placed the fabric in the blocks! SEW clever too use just one block!!! I am really impressed by the quilt!
Esther
esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo dot com

Shay said...

And look how psychedelically it turned out...absolutely eye poppingly gorgeous!

Those swirls in the quilting are a treat for the eyes.

This quilt has definitely been in contact with some LSD !

Kim said...

Wow!! I can hear that gong banging all the way down here!! What a colour popping, kaleidoscopic and mind blowing quilt!! Love all the fabrics and the orange and purple backing fabric....truly hallucinatory!! Yes indeedy, you were truly inspired. Oh...and not to forget the quilting...just wonderful!!

Michelle said...

You really captured psycha-funka-delic! Reminds me of a zonk poster. :D. The kind my rather young parents had decorating their walls in 1969. I love it!

Karen said...

Perfect! The swirls really add texture :)

Pokey said...

Love the story, love the quilt! You made it fun as always. Your quilting is right on the money with the overall style, including those funky color choices in the back. The back makes me think of a couple of pair of bell bottom pants I wore in 5th-6th grade, lol. You've hit your mark again, Miz P, I'm happy for you!
:-}pokey

Kevin the Quilter said...

P!!!!!!!!!!! What a cool story and mindset you have! I love hearing how ideas are conceived, and seeing the final work! I think you were imaginative and literal with your references! How cool! Congrats!

Hazel said...

I really love the story behind the quilt. Very creative!

Anonymous said...

It looks amazing! I love how you quilted it!! What a great finish!

MomWaldsPlace said...

The quilt is amazing. Why? You!
The song lyrics are crazy. Why? Drugs.

You are way, way better!

Elizabeth said...

Paulette, you have done an absolutely marvelous job with this quilt! I LoVE it! Love, love, love it! Your swirly quilting in the white is amazing and the arcs in your triangles are so perfectly done! Congrats on a really awesome finish! You knocked it out of the park. And thanks for linking up!

xo -E