I love to take my camera on short walkabouts around our property.  We are in a woodsy area, and near a large pasture where there are horses, cows, donkeys and sometimes goats.  We also have many sandhill cranes strutting about.  I’ve gathered wonderful images of plants, trees, weeds and vines, as well as shadows, sunlight, color and textures.  I’m always amazed at the changes occurring in the natural world around us.

The theme of ecosystems – plants and animals – led me to consider a composition based on one of my photographs.  Although it is technically considered winter here, some of the plants think it is spring, and so are sprouting new leaves and budding flowers.  Winter in Florida is wonderful that way.  In our garden, I spotted an elephant ear plant with a new leaf just unfolding with strong sunlight shining through.  I loved the curl of the newly forming leaf, and the way the leaves unfurl, and the beautiful new green colors.

I have a lovely collection of damask tablecloths and napkins, which I’ve hand dyed.  I gathered these, along with other hand dyed cotton fabrics for this quilt.  I checked a few other piles, and pulled out a screen printed muddy green polka dot, a small dyed piece of fabric with French words, and a dyed tea towel with cut out embroidery.  I laid out a background with dark, medium and light values, as they were in my photo image.  Next followed a study of shape, form, light, shadow, and space.  A few times, I got lost in the image, but always found my way out.  It was pure joy to work on this design.  I’m grateful to have found it, and it makes me smile to see it complete.  As I stitched the pieces to the batting, I discovered three ducks that I had not noticed in the cutout embroidery of the tea towel.

Thank you, Regina, for this prompt.  You helped me notice and appreciate my immediate community.

Emerge

26 by 40”

Hand dyed and screen printed fabrics, hand appliqued, hand quilted