Shirt and Tie

As we close out 2023 together, let me squeeze in one last quilt finish! Even though I’ve had this quilt finished since March 2023, I never got to show it off properly. My Molli Sparkles Shirt and Tie quilt got to hang at the Sydney Quilt Show in September, so it has been kind of tied up all year! (See what I did there?!) Grandma Sparkles and I took it out this week for a little photo shoot, and she was the best quilt holder ever — sorry, not sorry, Mr. Sparkles!

I’ve written about the meaning of this quilt a few times before, so rather than rehash, I’ve just quoted myself below. You can read the original post here as well, or below, or just look at the pretty pictures. Any which way, I hope you all have a lovely end of year celebration, even if you’re sitting on a stranger’s couch with a tie wrapped around your head after a few too many champagnes. Get your life! Let’s do it all again next year, shall we?!

It’s no secret that I like my quilts to be imbibed with meaning. Sometimes it’s a subtle nod that only I know about, while other times it slaps a bit harder. When I started the Molli Sparkles Shirt and Tie block design, the primary focus was creating a motif that represented men. Simple as that. Here’s a block that could be customised for all the guys in your life, ready for Father’s Day gifts and memory quilts alike. While the pattern hasn’t lost those traits, along the way I discovered why I truly had to make this quilt.

The core of this quilt is about more than a simple variety of shirts and ties. On their face value, these articles of clothing can be mixed, matched, switched and swapped at the discretion of the wearer. Every day brings about new and endless possibilities of presenting oneself to the world. The joy that can be found in this self-expression is limitless! Because of this, there’s so much glee in raiding your own stash with wild abandon to find dots, checks, stripes, paisleys, and a plethora of prints for even wilder combinations. There are no best and worst dressed lists in the comfort of your own quilt.

However, unlike the clothing, what doesn’t change is a person’s actual skin tone that radiates beneath the faux surface of these shirts and ties. I wake up every day with my pale, privileged skin, somewhat none-the-wiser of the benefits it affords me. Unfortunately, the choice of skin tone and the assigned privilege isn’t interchangeable, nor can it be disguised, improved, or discarded. We are the proud owners of the melanin found within, and as the cliche goes, beauty is only skin deep. As I developed my thought process through the creation of this quilt, I knew each of the blocks would also need to represent the people that step into these shirts and ties in their own various skins. As a gay man, I’ve come to know representation matters, whether it be of gender, sexuality, ability, age, and/or ethnicity. Representation allows us to be seen in a way that leads us to be respected.

I wanted this quilt to showcase the various skins we live in — all of the skins — in an effort to give a voice, and thus representation to all people. Our differences make us stronger, and this attitude needs to be amplified in the quilt world especially. Look around at your quilters-in-crime. Are they as white as the batting in your latest quilt? Are they as straight as your quarter-inch seam? Are they as old as the heirloom quilt that was passed down to you? Are they as feminine as the floral fabrics you keep trying to make modern? Do any of these questions sting a bit? Why is that? I don’t ask them to imply I am immune to them. Quite the contrary, I ask them to hold myself to the very same standard with which I hope to engage our quilt world.

There’s great comfort in surrounding ourselves with people, and thus ideas, that are the same as ours. I do it too! There’s no shame in that. However, for our long-held ideas to be challenged, we need to be challenged! Comfortability does not bring about challenge and change, quite the opposite, it breeds the status quo. Which is fine, I guess, if you want to keep making the same quilt over and over. But how do you grow, improve, and evolve not only your quilt practice, but yourself as well, if you don’t face those challenges? I’m in no way suggesting you tokenise a person different to you simply to make a better quilt. That trivialisation runs counter to the entire process of growth. However, I’d encourage all of us to seek an exchange of ideas with people that are naturally different than us so that our contributions to the world — quilt or otherwise — are the best they can possibly be.

This small seed of inclusion and diversity that I’ve tried to capture in my Molli Sparkles Shirt and Tie quilt took little effort. In fact, I had most of these various shades of pinks, creams and browns in my stash already. I bought a few of them to complete this quilt and even more to ensure a wider array of diversity is at my fingertips in future projects. Let’s face it, buying fabric has never been a challenge for any of us! So why don’t you sneak a fat quarter or two into your next purchase just so you are ready to contribute to representing all of the world around you. If this is the least we can do to make our quilt world more inclusive, I’d say it’s well worth dressing up for.

Buy Shirt and Tie Block Pattern Here

Title: Molli Sparkles Shirt and Tie
Size: 44″ x 59″
Pattern: Molli Sparkles Shirt and Tie
Fabric: Molli Sparkles curated bundle
Piecing: Machine stitched on Juki TL-98P with Aurifil 40wt, White 2024
Quilting: Long arm quilting by Mount Vincent Quilts
Binding: Hand stitched with Aurifil 40wt, White 2024
Backing: Entwine in Persimmon Static by Giucy Giuce
Timing: March 2021 – March 2023
Favourite Part: Not only did it already have meaning, now Grandma Sparkles is part of the story too!