quilt as amulet

olga has posted some interesting thoughts about beliefs. she has me thinking about symbols again. the ring was my first personal symbol. way back when i started the blog i was thinking about things, and how they come to mean something to us. and about the role of beliefs in communication. in the creative process your symbols are your palette, your language. they become consistent over time.

this quilt's heart is a square ring, or a box. i have chosen this as a symbol with similar characteristics to my circle/ ring but with added elements of confinement, something not natural. the flames/triangles are change. in this case, the fever.

the fringe, well the fringe is really interesting me now...especially the ring of fringe. where it meets change. as a symbol and also a new element in quilt making. fringe is usually an extension of a woven fabric, the left over warp, showing at the end of a piece, the part that is not woven. i have begun to insert mismatched fringe, a color that emerges as a surprise. i like the idea and will do some thinking and what-iffing on fringe.

Comments

[Art Tea Life]

* HOLY COW *

I am Crazy For Your Quilts !

I had been looking for hands for a quilt I am working on
Searching thru Google images
and there was this weee photo of a fabric tree in dots that looked like it was dancing in the wind
(I was looking for tibetan dancers at the time....)
I clicked and what a wonderLAND I stumbled into !

Good Grief I am in heaven.

I've been experimenting with little mini mandala quilts (nothing posted yet...) and you just give me tons of inspiration. THANK YOU !

oh my goodness. I am going to be visiting here often and camping out !

W O W

[jeannette]

i was just looking at a kumiko sudo omiyage bug of some kind -- a butterfly, Omiyage, p. 92 -- in which she uses eight inches of "embroidery floss", knotted and frayed at the end, needled through the head, as antennae. very pretty.

her directions and descriptions suck, not to put too fine a point on it, and the "embroidery thread" looks like a couple of strands of good sashiko twisted together.

but i like the idea of floppy antennae, and/or fringe as antennae.

[Laney]

this has such an ethnic/world cloth feel, movement, dance, music, great spicey food all come to mind.

[Kristin La Flamme]

The change from he beginning of this quilt to where it is now and appears to be going, is absolutely amazing. It was bold and graphic before, and now it is organic and magical. I just love the flames and fringe as counterpoint to the black and white. Do I recognize a bit of red marbled fabric as well?

[Monica Magness]

mouth opened, jaw dropped...can't breath, can't breath....
talk about inspiriational pieces, talk about BEAUTY. Am I in fabric heaven?

My friend ART TEA LIFE just sent me your link, i luv it here.

xo, Monica

[jude]

hey, new visitors! thank you for coming by. and for wonderful compliments!

jeanette, antennae is an interesting image for fringe....feelers i am thinking.

kristin, yes, that is a piece of your fabric, which i will focus on a bit later. this quilt IS about the transformation. mine to be exact. all out there for everyone to examine. funny, i have started to include gifted fabrics, thinking all these gifts have really changed me lately. we are all sisters in fever. ha!

[jan in nagasaki]

I talk with a distant friend on the phone daily and at least once in every conversation I get to circles.... that life and everything in it ultimately is circular.

everything comes around and everything is connected.

The symbolism in your quilts comes from your heart and your soul.. it is woven into each and every stitch. As you share that with us, we are at the same time weaving and stitching from our hearts and our souls.. a great big world-wide circle of stitches.

I look forward to your updates and this morning the picture of your quilt is really beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us.

[jeanne, herself]

there's something so quietening, so centering about looking at this piece and reading about it. so symbolic, so metaphoric, so meaningful. it truly is a spirit cloth.

and fringe? yes, yes. sit with fringe for a while. i'll be keenly interested to see where that takes you . . .

[Acey]

gosh I wish I was well enough to figure out how to express how much your words and images related to this particular project have enriched my own thoughts/creative process. Plus you have managed to connect so many of us who are drawn into the circle of this blog.

Taking your advice and resting instead of trying to push-through. This virus is (currently) stronger than my will power ...

[Shula]

That.

Is just SO beautiful.

[calamity]

I am in love with this concept- the colors are exceptional. The fire- the transformative nature of fire. I love your work,Jude. I just want to dive into the pictures and wrap myself up in those layers of safety and comfort.

[jude]

tks jan, i wonder how many stitches it would take to join everyone together???
thank you all for your comments, and kim...the best thing about cloth is that you CAN wrap yourself up in it!

[Florence]

remembering your circle brings us full circle I think :)

The square or enclosure is a temenos, a place of safty or sacred place, where parts of the Self can be integrated into consciousness.

You're a marvellous marvel Jude.

xx

[helle Jorgensen]

The textures are are incredibly rich. The hand stitching is so special............. you are a master, Jude.

The subject of our personal symbols and language is something I've been pondering for a while too. Tentacles, cups (holes) and branching patterns are recurring in my work. The ring is omnipresent and connects us. Your quilting is like a lexicon of your life.

Did Walter like the infant coral garden?

[calamity kim]

I keep coming back to this. It is so beautiful.

[Nyx]

I too keep coming back to this, the blue and the red, the shapes and all the details, stunning :)