Intertwined

And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.”
― Maya Angelou

This celtic interlacing to me represents how we are all intertwined, how we aid and assist each other in the great wheel of our lives.  Even those who gently weave in and out only occasionally are a deep part of who we are and who we will become.

This piece is 48 x48 inches.  It is hand appliqued and hand quilted.  The four large pieces in the central part are hand dyed as well as the small squares surrounding the outside.  Piece completed January 2020.

Detail of quilting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Turning, Turning, Turning

The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt.  Max Lerner

The central design is a variation on and early Celtic (500-350BC) Waldalgesheim pattern.

The applique method is back basted hand applique.  The piece is 54’x54″.  It is hand quilted.  It was completed in 2018.

A View of Infinity

“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.”
― William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

This piece started with a beautiful hand dyed fabric made by a friend of mine.  At first glimpse, you might think that it’s a midnight blue – then the diversity of colors and shades becomes gradually apparent.  As with so many pieces that I come by,  I just can’t bring myself to cut them up into little pieces, but need to find a way to be able to see and enjoy the entirety of the piece.

The applique overlaying the hand dyed piece is once again, a variation on the Celtic Waldalgesheim pattern dated between 500-350 BC.  It is reversed appliqued.  As the design came to life, as I was working on it, it also reminded me of the ancient Welsh story of Arianrhod – Goddess of the Silver Wheel.  It was said that Arionrhod was able to shape shift into a large owl, and through the great eyes, was able to see into the darkness of human subconsciousness and the soul.  This owl is winking suspiciously!

The piece is 28 x 42 inches.  It is hand appliqued and hand quilted.

The last two photos are to get a closer look at the depth in the underneath fabric.

We are the World

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
— Maya Angelou

I’m a little late for the celebration of Martin Luther King day, but I’ve been concerned about our moving away from from diversity and inclusiveness for a long time.  This newest quilt celebrates for me the diversity and inclusiveness that we all need to recognize and work toward.

The background fabric is a large map of the world.  The overlaid design (a celtic Waldalgeheim pattern circa 500o-350 BC variation) is reversed appliqued onto the map.  the four immediated edges to the quilt are small seminole pieced designs, blending world and American ideas.

 

The quilt is 55 X 63 inches.  It is machine pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted.

My hope is to see the peoples of the world supporting and loving each other, instead of dividing into us vs. them!

Brown and Teal

Mimbres, which means “willows” in Spanish, is the name given to a cottonwood- and willow-lined river in southwestern New Mexico. The very spectacular pottery found in and around the Mimbres Valley also came to be called Mimbres, and the name was soon applied to the people who made the pottery.  Michelle Hegmon & Margaret Nelson

 

The block pattern for this quilt is “Star of Destiny” published in 1906 in Practical Needlework for Clara Stone.  The applique in the upper left is a stylistic representation of large animals adapted from Mimbres pottery design.  The lower right design is a circ. 1920, from pottery in the middle Mimbres river area and represents whirlwinds.

The quilt is 56″by 56″.  Fabric is commercial batiks.  It is hand quilted and hand appliqued.  Finished in 2016

Ma soeur française

“Great wine requires a mad man to grow the vine, a wise man to watch over it, a lucid poet to make it, and a lover to drink it.” – Salvador Dali

When I was in high school (many moons ago!) our family hosted a French student for the school year.  I didn’t know much about the world beyond Iowa at that time and this was an incredible opportunity for my family to widen our horizons.  Jocy had lived many places in France, but her heart always remained in the regions of Beaujolais where her family had deep roots.  As we became young women, and our families grew, and we were both deeply involved in family and careers, we lost touch.  Many attempts were made to reconnect, without much success, until I opened up Facebook about a year and a half ago and had a “friend request” from my long lost friend.  What an incredible surprise!  Correspondence ensued and I just returned from spending 10 days in France with Jocy experiencing the part of France that she loves most.  Fall is an absolutely beautiful time to visit Lyon and the Beaujolais wine region of France.  Of course,  I’m a quilter and I spent days and days pondering what I could take to France that wouldn’t take up all of my luggage.  I found a wonderful fabric print of a world map and overlaid the map with a traditional celtic design.  Along the edges, I added four designs in seminole strip piecing to represent America.  The piece is hand appliqued and hand quilted. It measure approximately 28 x 46 inches.

These show the seminole pieced border in more detail.

One of the most beautiful places that we visited was the medieval village of Pérouges.  Pérouges is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. It is a medieval walled town that is perched on a small hill that overlooks the plain of the Ain River.  The town was was inhabited by craftsmen; mainly farmers and linen weavers. It was probably founded by a Gallic colony.  In 1167, the Seigneur d’Anthon famously shut the commune’s walls against the troops of the Archbishop of Lyon, and as early as 1236 the inhabitants earned communal freedom. In 1601 the town officially became French. Until the end of the 18th century, the textile industry in Pérouges boomed. (wikipedia)

The visit to France and the renewal of an old friendship was beautiful!

Seminole Strip Piecing

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus

A good friend of mine, from my local quilt guild, taught a class in seminole strip piecing in the spring.  I have finally put it together and finished it.

The center panel is American Indian floral designs that are machine appliqued with a blanket stitch to enhance the colors and design.

 

The quilt is 68×94 inches.  It is machine appliqued and machine quilted.

 

Infinity and Beyond

Imagination makes us aware of limitless possibilities. How many of us haven’t pondered the concept of infinity or imagined the possibility of time travel? In one of her poems, Emily Bronte likens imagination to a constant companion, but I prefer to think of it as a built-in entertainment system. Alexandra Adornetto

Circles are such a universal symbol of timelessness, eternity, cycles of life, completion, unity, regeneration and on and on.  The Celts used spiral and circles in so many of their decorations and I am intrigued by the never ending variety of them.

I found the background fabric for the spirals on a sale table in a shop in Virginia.  I couldn’t bear to cut it up, so decided to put the spirals on the top of each so the wonderful marbling on the fabric could still show.  The quilt is then outlined with random length blocks to show off the designs.  Aiden Meehan has done a series of books that are extremely helpful in drafting celtic designs and he also does a wonderful job of historical and developmental aspects of the designs.

Here are close ups of two of the spirals.

The quilts is 50×64 inches.  Designs are hand appliqued and the quilt is hand quilted in black thread.  Here’s a peek at the back.

 

 

 

Dreaming of Spring Again

The sky is gray, the atmosphere is very gloomy and it is so cold outside.  But I got some great news today.  My quilt that has been on loan to the “500 Traditional Quilts” tour is going to make it’s final appearance in the International Quilt Festival in Chicago from April 4 through April 7, 2016.  It was really exciting to get this news.

More Celtic Dreams

Am fear nach cuir a shnaidhm, caillidh e chiad ghrèim.
The man who puts not a knot on his thread loses the first stitch.

I love the intricacies of celtic design.  Aidan Meehan has published a series of books on Celtic design that are an excellent help when it comes to drafting the designs.  He is also very informative about the origins of the designs.  In this quilt I used a lot of his drafting techniques and design elements.

Knot work is, of course a large part of celtic designs.  Zoomorphic design is also a key element.

The design in the four corners of the quilt is after a Commaccio Flagon Mount, Italy, about 325 BC.  In the outline, you can see the mask, with the drop shaped eyes and bulbous nose.   In the corners are dragon shapes and in the triangles, griffin shapes.

This is a close of of the knot work.

This is a closeup of the central spiral.

The quilt is approximately 58×58 inches.  It is hand appliqued, and hand quilted.  It is finished with a corded edging.

Finished 2015