#nqa

—NEVER QUITE AWAKE, chapter two.

“Lily Evans,” James says slowly, with a shake of his head, and her eyes widen imperceptibly, “how could I ever hold a grudge against you?” He’s smiling at her, brighter and brighter, like one and two and three wands illuminating one after the other.

surprise?

Streetcar Named Desire - quilt block

Size: 12 ½” x 12 ½ “

Materials: muslin base, poly/cotton blends, embroidery floss for details, lace hem tape

In 1981 a call went out to all members of the NQA to solicit  blocks for an upcoming ‘Louisiana State Quilt’ being created for the 1982 NQA show to be held in New Orleans that year. What was this Northern quilter-boy going to do to enter this (not exactly a) contest? I called on my years of theatre background and a previous vacation to New Orleans to create this tribute to Tennessee Williams’ work A Streetcar Named Desire.

I wanted to place the emphasis on the streetcar and not the background, but I knew those wrought iron lace balconies had to be in there somehow, so I made a substitution and used white lace hemming tape to create them. After all, this quilt was going to be hung on permanent exhibition and never used on a bed, so I would not have to worry about wear and tear on the lace. I appliquéd the body of the car and streetlamp into place, then used embroidery floss to add the details to the lamp post, balconies, and streetcar.

When I attended NQA #13 and saw my block in the finished quilt, I could not help to think it odd that alongside blocks about the herons in the bayous and the animals in the Audubon Zoo, there should have been a block about New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras - but instead there is this block about the steamy and sordid lives that only Tennessee Williams would have written about. I still do wonder what the casual viewer makes of it.

White - on - White quilt block

Approximately 13 ½” x 13 ½ “

(I totally just messaged the wrong blog about this in a fever rushing from ao3, did you know there a sunshinemarauders?! oops)

oh my! THANK YOU! this means the world to me! writing has been sporadic and sparse lately, BUT i actually HAVE been working on NQA chapter 2 (surprise, surprise) and i really do intend to publish it soon! stay tuned!

here's a cute and non-spoilery snippet that I'll share here because you asked so kindly :) check the snippets tag on this blog for more!

(spoilers for Never Quite Awake chapter 1 under the cut !! and sort of for #2 as well, so read at your own risk if you don't like spoilers)

text version:

“I feel like this is becoming a common occurence every time we meet,” James comments. “With you leading me somewhere without explaining a word. One of these days I swear you’ll drag me into a broom cupboard and murder me.”

Lily barely refrains from replying: I used to drag you into broom cupboards… for other reasons. 

Barely. 

But she manages, after biting her lip hard enough to elicit a wince, after keeping her eyes trained forward as the stairs spin around and up, up, up. She manages.

Lily rubs her temples, face heating up. There’s no reason to even think thoughts like this. It must be the drama of the past several days, the whirlwind of emotions that came with friendship with James once more… and of course, the new memories. Old memories, really, that have only now slotted themselves in place where they belong.

One of which, she recalls with flushed cheeks, had been just what she’s been trying to avoid thinking about here, with James’s elbow brushing hers and his quizzical smile not two feet away.

Later, Lily thinks desperately, turning away from him to buy herself some time. Thoughts come later.

Hi, friend!

I will definitely be updating Never Quite Awake - and very soon, hopefully. I'm going on vacation in a few days so I doubt I'll be able to complete it before then, but I'm aiming for early July :) thank you all SO MUCH for your patience!! This is the longest thing I've ever written!

Snippet for your troubles:

and I haven't even gotten to the MEAT!!