The Reveal

Okay, so I was going to reveal the piece tomorrow; but I just posted it on the Quilt blog so I might as well blog today. Do check out the fabulous quilts on the Quilt blog!

What I didn't mention of the Quilt blog is that the text on the transparency is definitions of Mentally Challenged, my daughter, Alzheimer's, my mother, and Strokes, my guy. The Puzzlement is why a triple whammy? (click on the image in order to read the text.)

The backing is white canvas fabric that I painted red and stiffened with GAC 400; I have no idea if or how I'd hang the piece, but the fabric is stiff enough to stand up on its own on a display shelf. And yes, the red backing is attached off-center. I used black canvas fabric for the middle layer with the rusted Hope sign on it. The challenge word is puzzle so the first thing I did was to make a puzzle piece stencil that was used for both the discharged shapes on the top right layer of black fabric, the blobs, and for the painted pieces on the left side. The line drawing of the brain was PSE manipulated. The twisted cording is torn strips of fabric that were adhered to the piece with a painted piece of junk jewelry. Additionally, there are painted puzzle pieces and two more painted pieces of junk jewelry. The red lines resembling veins are a rubber stamp.

Being that my quilting skills are nil I used paint as a needle; straight and satin stitching were used to sew the fabrics together. Black felt was used for batting.


Quote: Anne Lamott nailed the way I've been feeling for the last four months.

"And I felt like my heart had been so thoroughly and irreparably broken that there could be no real joy again, that at best there might eventually be a little contentment. Everyone wanted me to get help and rejoin life, pick up the pieces and move on, and I tried to, I wanted to, but I just had to lie in the mud with my arms wrapped around myself, eyes closed, grieving, until I didn’t have to anymore."