Cooperation and sharing. When I began thinking about this theme, I was in a creative funk. I couldn’t get motivated to work on any of my ‘in progress’ quilts. My brain was trying to process what was happening all over the world, and it was horrid. Reading the reports about illness and death took a toll on my spirit.
I tried to look at the positives, and thought of all the quilters who were making masks to share. At first, I didn’t make any masks. Seeing posts on facebook where maskmakers were keeping a tally of how many they had made seemed more selfish than generous to me. But I started getting requests from family members and friends to make masks, so I did. It felt good to be able to contribute something that might help defend against this horrible disease.
My quilt represents the piles of face masks made by sewists worldwide. The whole time I was making the quilt panels, I felt that I should have been using this fabric and time to make more actual masks. When the three panels were complete, I felt the project was incomplete. I wanted my quilt to also honor all the medical workers who are on the forefronts of the battle.
I was drawn to the stories of nurses and doctors who vividly shared what it was like in the hospitals. I appreciate that they took time to share the reality of the battle against this disease. Their words are chilling, discouraging, and frightening. I gathered some quotes from newspapers and social media reports, and added them into the folds of the masks. I pray every day for these and other heroes, without whom our world would be in much more terrible peril.
Heroes
40 by 40”
Machine pieced and quilted, upcycled fabrics
I like your idea of incorporating the quotes, that gives it a whole other dimension. Well done!
Thank you Karol, as the artwork you have shared with us is proof positive that the messages that are written are destined for posterity and will remind future generations of the depth of intense and untold pain suffered by not only the patients but their caregivers during the C-19pandemic. Your piece is important and beautifully executed.
Perfect. I keep watching the medical people they interview on Tv and can only try to imagine what they see everyday. It hurts to watch it, but I feel I must hear it to truly understand.
I know what you mean about being in a funk. I burnt out making 70+ masks in 2 days at the beginning of the lockdown I gave them to friends and family and friends of friends. After than I didn’t make any more. Then I went into my funk. I donated lots of fabric to a group of “masketeers,” but just couldn’t get up the energy to sew. This prompt wasn’t hard for me, I had several ideas, but nothing I really wanted to work on. This past week I got my mojo back and finished my quilt. Now I’m even ready to try some free-motion machine quilting on a quilt (Not my favorite activity!). I hope you get your creative juices back. Stay well.
Oh, I finally snapped out of it, and now am back in the saddle creatively. It feels great to get those urges back again.
This is really good Karol. Thank you.
Thank you, Maria. I kept thinking it was not nearly good enough. I considered superimposing a large portrait of a nurse over the whole thing with sheer fabrics, but I didn’t have the supplies needed, and didn’t want to mess it up.
A heartfelt piece.
Absolutely. I feel it in my heart and my gut. Sigh.