Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

Keys

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Don’t you just love a collection?  I only have five of them, but these big keys make me so happy.  The key, to me is a symbol of opportunity, discovery and mysteries to be solved.  It is a well known symbol of knowledge and power as well.  I found all five of these keys at an antique market in Arezzo, Italy.  The thing that excited me was my fantasies of what amazing places these keys may have unlocked in the past.  My mind positively danced with notions of castles, convents, and villas.  Until I discovered what the key to a castle REALLY looks like.  Trust me,  it makes my keys look like they would open the barn, not the villa.  Still.  I love my keys.

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The thing about collecting is that there is always room for more, right?  These skeleton keys and cut glass heart dish were purchased the weekend of my recent quilting retreat at a charming little antique and curiosity shop located right next door to the local quilt shop we visited on our field trip.  Talk about serendipitous shop locations!  These keys remind me of my girlhood, when we lived in Michigan in a house that had been built in the 1920’s.  All the doors in the house had locks on them that opened with keys such as the ones shown above.  I remember my mother had a couple of "skeleton" keys that opened any of the doors.  That was a magical concept to me.

Talking about these keys makes me recall something called a "guided fantasy" that was popular in the 80’s.  I wonder if anyone else remembers this and how it went?   You start the fantasy by imagining yourself walking through a deep dark forest.  You walk and walk until you find a key.  Describe the key.  You continue your walk along the mossy path, and soon notice a drinking vessel.  Describe this vessel.  Carrying with you the key and the drinking vessel, before too long you arrive at a door. Describe the door.  You go through the door and into a room.  Describe the room.  You pass through the room into another room that has a person or a group of people in it.  Who are they and what is their reaction to you?

You get the idea.  This fantasy went on at some length, having you discover various things along the journey.  If you wrote down the things as you imagined them, it was pretty revealing about what was on your mind or going on in your life at the time.  It all started with a key…

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14 responses to “Keys”

  1. I was raised in my grandparents home and every door was locked with this type of key, albeit a bit smaller. They were always left on the inside in the keyhole. Reminds me of old movies where something was used to push the key out of the keyhole and hope that it dropped on the newspaper pushed under the door so they could slide the newspaper out with the key on it.
    I have an uncle that still in that house and the keys are still the same!

  2. I was raised in my grandparents home and every door was locked with this type of key, albeit a bit smaller. They were always left on the inside in the keyhole. Reminds me of old movies where something was used to push the key out of the keyhole and hope that it dropped on the newspaper pushed under the door so they could slide the newspaper out with the key on it.
    I have an uncle that still in that house and the keys are still the same!

  3. I like keys too and also have a small collection of them. I love the idea of the guided fantasy. Had never heard of it before. Might try it sometime. Might be a good exercise when you are experiencing a creativity block.

  4. I like keys too and also have a small collection of them. I love the idea of the guided fantasy. Had never heard of it before. Might try it sometime. Might be a good exercise when you are experiencing a creativity block.

  9. I have a collection of about 40 old keys – it was the first collection I ever started. They were my daughter’s favorite playthings when she was little.

  10. I have a collection of about 40 old keys – it was the first collection I ever started. They were my daughter’s favorite playthings when she was little.

  13. I was just looking at a magazine or book last night that had old keys. They put them on a big metal ring and hung them up. Yours look so nice in the the heart dish…like a key to your heart.

  14. I was just looking at a magazine or book last night that had old keys. They put them on a big metal ring and hung them up. Yours look so nice in the the heart dish…like a key to your heart.