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.