The piecing of a quilt serves many purposes. We make them for their beauty and colour. For a specific place in our home; be it wall, sofa or bed. As a gift to a friend or family member. Quilts have distinct meanings to the person behind the scenes stitching them. They are an expression of what we think and feel. The taking of an idea, the vagueness of a thought or emotion, and making it tangible for others to see and enjoy.
In my case, each quilt reveals a facet of myself. The design and its making seem to tap something deep inside, that leads to a lesson or insight previously unseen or known. The result of which can be both surprising and enlightening. Affording a better understanding of life, some aspects of which can’t be taught, but instead must be self-discovered.
The design of this quilt was all sketched out, and on the drawing board ready to be pieced. Then… life changed. My mother was diagnosed with cancer. It was sudden, unexpected, and progressed rapidly beyond treatment available. Thrown into a state of shock and disbelief, we struggled to cope with the unimaginable. Time hung suspended, even as life moved on around us.
This quilt was my means of escape. A ‘place’ to go, and in losing myself among the shapes and colours, ease the pain of impending loss.
The piece featured here is known as a water-colour quilt. Basically, it’s how fabric interprets the Impressionist Movement of painting, which was very avant-garde in the late 1800’s. And exemplified by such artists as Renoir, Monet, and Matisse, amongst others. These artists used small brush-strokes and daubs of color to depict light in their scenes, thus allowing for greater depth in presentation. So too the quilter ‘paints’, using fabric in a variety of tonal shades to achieve the same end.
Water-colour quilts, in interpreting Impressionism, consist of small squares, which when sewn together, show a landscape scene or picture via the use of light, medium, and darker-hued fabrics.
Here, I started with 2” x 2”, squares, which when sewn together reduced to 1”. And with them, proceeded to ‘paint’ a landscape. All told there are 625 squares. Using various coloured values of fabric, a mountain skyline was stitched overlooking a pastoral meadow scene. Squares denoting rays of sunshine can be seen in the upper left corner, while purple squares opposite hint at distant peaks. Deep-blue shades at the lower right give an ‘impression’ of water, in the form of a small lake or maybe a pond… along with the darker growth of reeds and rocks which accompany this.
However, the background when completed looked rather empty. It needed something more. A centerpiece perhaps, to better focus the eye and attention. This is where the original design plan changed. There was a void which needed to be filled.
Cancer is insidious, the treatment of which can be worse than the disease. As my mother weakened, I poured myself into this quilt. And found comfort in the landscape, where nature could offer some manner of healing.
Towards that end, a small stand of trees was added… where the meadow squares showed a little darker, better reflecting the presence of shade from limbs and leaves overhead. Birch would work well, and offer a contrast from the myriad of background colours. Unable to find fabric to match, I made my own. Using white material, the trees were shaped and appliqued onto the background. Then taking black and grey embroidery thread, bark was hand-stitched to make them look like birch trees.
Dark green thread served well to embroider small tufts of grass, highlighting the meadow-scape and flowers. Similarly, lily pads, reeds, and rocks were appliqued and sewn around the blue-shaded squares, to further imply the presence of lake or pond.
And yet, the presentation still seemed empty. Again, something was missing
So… the figure of a mother and child was designed and appliqued onto the quilt. Grief was finding expression, and this is how we heal. The loss needs to be accepted, and that’s what I was doing here… working it through.
A close-up view shows mother and daughter sitting under the shade of two birch trees. They are holding a fabric bouquet of blossoms. The flowers were done in 3-dimension for added effect. Notice how the skirts blend and entwine together. The eye cannot tell where one begins, and the other leaves off. Thus, emphasizing the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child. In Amish style, the facial features were left off, for they would distract rather than enhance.
Although machine-pieced, the quilt-top itself was entirely hand-stitched using an assortment of coloured threads, to enhance and give definition to the landscape implied. For example, lines of yellow thread ‘quilted’ rays of sunshine across the sky at the upper left. Blue thread was used to quilt and give shape to the water at the lower right.
The surrounding border was made from random-colored rectangles, whose shades matched the smaller squares inside the quilt.
A thin frame of black fabric separates the two, even as it adds emphasis, allowing the eye to ‘rest’ from the many bright and busy colours. The border was then quilted with a leaf and tulip motif. This carries over the floral meadow theme, adding further continuity to the design. It was also my mother’s favourite flower.
She passed quietly at home, with family to offer ease and comfort. Life would be very different now. I continued to sew, seeking solace and peace. Working through the deep emotions which the loss of a mother can evoke. Caring for my daughter, too young to fully understand.
Quilting and embroidering the finishing touches on this piece was very healing, and helped absorb the grief.
Later when displayed on the wall, I took comfort from the landscape and all its bright colours.
But the ‘light bulb’ moment came upon over-hearing my daughter showing the quilt to a friend.
“See,” she said, “that’s a picture of mommy and me.”
Generations pass, and my mother is gone. Yet at the same time, generations live on. Loved ones are never truly lost, but remain with us in different forms and in various ways.
The shape of my hands, the ones which made this quilt, are the same shape as my mother’s. A living reminder. The colour of my daughter’s hair; the way it drapes around her face resembles that of her grandmother’s when younger. Too small at the time to truly remember “Grammie”, the stones from my mother’s wedding rings were incorporated into my daughter’s own band when she married.
30 years have passed, yet my mother is still part of our daily lives, and she would be gratified to know this.
The beauty of the quilt, with its lovely array of colours, although made during a time of great loss… brings feelings of joy and delight. This piece was a study in healing and resilience. And that would make mom smile.
Wishing a Happy Mother’s Day to All!
In celebration of the mothers who walk with us…
…in remembrance of the mothers who live on in our hearts.
