Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Game of My Life


Thinking about maps made me want a road map for life.  Maps are so helpful.  You can find the destination you would like and then simply follow the path to get there.  Unfortunately, life isn't that easy and more often than not I don't know which road to take.  Sketching life road maps led to thinking about the one place "Life" is mapped out, The Game of Life.  I tried to find our game, but after years of playing and the kids not always putting it completely away most of the pieces disappeared and it was purged on one of those clean out the house days.  So instead, I decided to create a game board loosely based on my own life.


To create my quilt, I started with the basic path and then added all the fun details.  I didn't quite have space to add as many side paths as I would have like, but I did include as many twists and turns as I could fit.  When I first started sketching I had the paper once again turned horizontal.  Luckily I caught that right away and quickly turned it vertical.  I pieced together the path from bits of quilted fabric in my stash.  For the background, I followed Gerrie's advice and used chartreuse as a nice bright neutral.  Adding the details of life was the fun part. Once again I was hampered by space, but I managed to include most of the important ones.  I have my husband and four kids, the dog and cats, life on the sailboat, various houses, and even a camping trip.  I added a hurdle and hoops to jump through for some of life's challenges.  Missing are all those little choice that in the end make a huge difference in the final destination.  I also didn't go far in the future.  I added a cupcake and running shoes for my goal of running the Hawaii marathon for my 40th birthday in less than two years.  After that I just have an arrow leading to the next chapter in life.

11 comments:

Diane Perin said...

Nikki, this is a charming map! Wonderful colors and fun details to inspect. And it has the game-spinner element that reminds me of your Twelve quilt! Are the pieces made of your painted and quilted shapes?

Kristin L said...

Aw, this is so cute. My kids have been playing The Game of Life (on the iPad!, unlike the board game I used to play) and this definitely reminds me of that. BTW, the Hawaii marathon is a great one -- very accessible and fun!

Karen said...

You have packed so much life into this quilt Nikki, it's fun to look at where you've been and where you hope to go.

Gerrie said...

This might be the one I wish I had made. It is well thought out with lots of personal imagery - just what I wanted to do, but couldn't pull off. The colors make me happy on this gray Portland day.

Terri Stegmiller said...

Too fun! This brings back so many memories, playing the Game of Life. I feel like sitting down to your quilt and playing.

Renate said...

How ingenious an interpretation of your theme. It looks like you have been having a fun time playing the "Game of Life".

Terry Grant said...

This quilt is so lovely--so sweet. Not sweet in an artificial way, but sweet that it is about what life is really about--one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, surprises at every turn. It reminds me of one of my favorite songs by Joni Mitchell. The Circle Game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMMbmXeQqvI

"We can't return. We can only look behind from where we came and go round and round and round in the circle game."

kirsten said...

Ah, Nikki, it would appear that you have your ducks in a row much neater than the higgledy-piggledy fashion in which mine are arranged ;P
How different our life maps are!!

Deborah Boschert said...

So fun! I love the color palette -- is it really a palette if you've used nearly every color? But somehow they all blend beautifully -- I think it's the consistency of your quilted and painted textures. Beautiful. I loved following the path and noting all the symbols along the way. The hoops and hurdle are really wonderful!

Françoise said...

Great quilt! Your game of life looks like a lot of fun!
Are you really going to run the Hawaii marathon? I'm impressed!

Unknown said...

I am intrigued by the house with he big padlock on it and the key left behind earlier on the road. Is there a deep meaning to that like I am imagining?