QuilterGirl | "And Now I Am Set Free"
I was very moved when I read the card that came with my challenge fabric order. It decribed how the Fabric of Life Foundation is helping so many women through education at the training center and by teaching them new skills so that they can start their own businesses. What touched me the most were the words "her hands are now used to created beautiful jewelry instead of begging".
After reading those words, I knew how I wanted to design my challenge quilt.
I used the beautiful purple print challenge fabric as the body of my butterfly and added many different batik fabrics to form the colors and designs of the butterfly's wings. The solid blue challenge fabric forms the swirls underneath the butterfly.
A butterfly starts life in the form of a lowly caterpillar, but emerges as one of the most beautiful creations on earth. I wanted to express the freedom these women must now feel, and the thrill of the emergence of their new way of life. I free motion quilted "invisible hands" into my design to show that even unseen acts of kindness can make a powerful difference in the lives of others, and that unseen hands can lift up and set free someone in need of help.
What a wonderful thing Carol Schillios has done for the women of Mali. I am so thrilled to be able to do my part by creating this challenge quilt.
My quilt measures 23 1/4" by 23 1/4" and is machine appliqued and machine quilted, on my domestic sewing machine. |
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