Friday, 4 July 2008

Out the Other Side

OK so here it is. It didn't get selected for the SAQA Europe show I entered it for but given the wealth of art quilters in Isreal and Europe and the quality of work those selected normally produce that is not really very surprising - I still have a very long way to go.

However it is a quilt that's important to me for several reasons. Firstly the subject-matter: the quilt celebrates finally being discharged from the cancer clinic at St James's (Jimmy's) Hospital in Leeds, where, six years ago I was treated for endometrial cancer by the most amazing team of doctors and nurses and other medical staff, to whom as you can imagine I am extremely grateful.

The patterns are based on normal and cancer cells and the sun-like thing at the top right is probably something to do with the radiotherapy treatment I had to undergo after surgery. I'm not sure where the snake-like shapes came from . My friend Judith reckons they look like snakes, which is not entirely inappropriate - the whole experience was intensely scary but snakes are also traditional symbols of survival, presumably because they can go without food or water for relatively long times.

It was also a first for me in that I've never made a full-size quilt using scrim before (the spots and blotches are the only bits on the surface that aren't); I also dyed the wadding to have colours that would show through the scrim. Plus it's the first quilt I've ever made with serious grown-up subject-matter.


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6 comments:

  1. Vicki W4 July 2008 at 14:19

    I think it's really beautiful and full of meaning.

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  2. verobirdie5 July 2008 at 10:31

    Lovely and meaningful piece! You must like it very much.

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  3. Julie7 July 2008 at 22:32

    I love the texture of the surface and the colours Sandra. A great celebration of your survival.

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  4. hippopip10 July 2008 at 22:06

    A beautiful quilt working with scrim cant have been easy but the finished result is great well done

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  5. imquilternity17 July 2008 at 05:09

    Lovely, lovely quilt to celebrate an especially meaningful occasion.

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  6. Lesnes24 July 2008 at 21:28

    I am very new to textile art - but looking at your amazing work I realise that you do things I would even think of! I particularly love your cats and you have made me consider using our Siamese for inspiration in something.(At 17 he is so old he stays still for hours at a time; so I think it will have to be a resting pose!)

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