Finally finished my latest quilt: ‘Nature provides solutions’.
I created this piece in response to the repeated heatwaves we have been experiencing this year, and my observations from my own neighbourhood; that those streets lined with trees felt much cooler to walk down than those without. I’d never really noticed this before, we normally have pretty mild summers in the UK.
Since then, I keep reading about other examples of this sort of thing in urban areas. Where nature is considered and encouraged, there is a higher resilience to extreme weather conditions such as heatwaves and flooding.
This year I read the book “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer . One of my favourite concepts from it was that we need to re-establish our relationships with the natural world – because when we love nature, nature will love us back. It’s a two-way thing. So this quilt is a testament to my love of trees and commitment to our ongoing relationship.
Most of the quilt is made from reclaimed and secondhand fabrics, with the largest pieces being ex-hotel bed sheets from Renee Materials that I dyed different colours.
All the embroidery and appliqué was sewn by hand and I hand-tied the quilt together which is a technique I only came across recentry but I will be using again. I love the texture on the front and dimples it creates on the back.
