"Shattered"

Shat·ter (shtr)

1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow.
2.a. To damage seriously; disable:
2.b. To cause the destruction or ruin of; destroy:



As glass shatters all over the floor upon impact, so do the elements of this quilt. Once straight lines and rectangles, have now become disjointed and taken on foreign shapes and sizes. As it is with life, a trauma or tragedy effects the whole redefining living and reality. This thereby gives those involved, and those observing, a new way to be and a new way to see things. Pain is often the escort through life's hardest moments but with the gifts of time, faith, acceptance and maybe forgiveness, there is hope that life will become new again.

Such are the thoughts to accompany the creation of "Shattered." Created from the scraps of a bridal heirloom gift I'm currently working on, the soft colors almost lessen the interrupted lines and odd shapes of the piece. Mirrors are used to remind the viewer that they too are shattered and broken in some ways. They are reminded that they have responsibilities, maybe not in this particular tragedy or trauma, but within their relationships to others who may be suffering in life's darkest hour.

These lines will never be straight again and the forms will never return to rectangles, but may we come to see a new beauty within and may we find hope in the ashes of despair.


Here is one more example of art created in reaction to tragedy:
http://registry.national911memorial.org/

Many more exist and I hope they will prove to be as helpful and therapeutic as this little piece was to me.

"Seven" and Friends

This is "Seven."

The "Squiggles" technique was learned from Kris Gregson Moss (http://www.krisgregsonmoss.com/) and was used for the Q.U.I.L.T.S. AAQI Challenge with her permission. Layers of fabric are sewn with a free-hand drawn design and then cut away to reveal the gorgeous colors below. No one color touches itself in the work. The piece is completed with appliqué fibers sewn to cover the seams and free-motion quilting to accent the other design elements. Learned in a private class, this technique offers lots of room for creativity and surprise. The final result was titled "Seven" by my 5 year old upon first seeing the work for the first time. My husband and a few friends thought that "Dot Seven" was more appropriate.

"Seven" meets all the criteria of the Quilters United in Learning Together Schenectady, NY (Q.U.I.L.T.S.) Guild Challenge for the 2010-2011 program year. First was to “go green" by using leftovers from other projects to create a quilt. The second was to think “outside the box" or outside of your personal quilting comfort zone by trying something new. Finally, the last challenge was to make a quilt that could be donated to the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative with a 9 inch by 12 inch maximum size. All participating guild members were encouraged to incorporate all three challenges into a Priority Quilt. Here are the 13 AAQI Priority Quilts which eight of our members created to meet this challenge. Our first effort was so popular that we are going to do it again in the future.


"Seven" is dedicated to all the ladies of Q.U.I.L.T.S. (Schenectady, NY) who gave of their art and made a quilt for our first AAQI Challenge!


Below is the list of Friends of "Seven" which are all for sale at the following link:
http://www.alzquilts.org/quiltsforsale.html
Then you have to scroll to the numbers #7387-#7397 for a closer look. You can click on the individual quilts to see a close up or the description.



At the bottom is my "Music was the Center of Her Life" donation #7448. This is the second from Mrs. P's scrap bag of black and white fabric. It is a collection of images, which could make up the elements of one's life. As a music teacher, I naturally placed the music fabric at the center and then pieces in a similar manner to a crazy quilt. This little piece is finished with "Fast Finish Triangles" in each corner so that it can be hung by the future owner in one of four orientations for four very different looks and quilted in the ditch.


Enjoy your visit to the AAQI website at www.alzquilts.org and your time shopping for a good cause.