Hope

 

Hope 

Quilt No. 152

Two worlds. Will we have a peaceful existence or will we live with the consequences of war? This is what came to mind when Cherrywood Fabrics announced their 2024 challenge: Poppy.  

Each year Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics holds a juried art quilt contest. They choose the theme and only the fabric supplied in a curated bundle of their fabrics may be used to create an entry. To be sure, it is always a true challenge to meet all the parameters of the competition. It’s tricky and fun and daunting, and in my case usually starts out with a few months of Design Despair. The Poppy Challenge was no exception. Remembrance Day poppies played a prominent role in my life when I was growing up, so this quilt had a lot to say.

In Canada, the annual Poppy Campaign of The Royal Canadian Legion honors the sacrifices of the veterans and celebrates the privilege of living in a world free of tyranny. My dad lived through the hard times of The Depression and served in the navy during World War II. He knew dark days. Despite this, he was always hopeful, never dwelled on the past. Dad also served faithfully as a Legion member and often filled the role of Poppy Campaign Chairman at our local branch.  Each fall our kitchen bloomed with stacks of poppy boxes on their way to spread their message. Even as a child I felt that their saturated blood red colour was well chosen.

When Cherrywood announced this year’s theme of Poppy, I immediately knew that I wanted to contrast the two worlds of peace and war. In one world the brilliant red poppy spreads its message of beauty and hope. In the other world a withered poppy presides over the folly of mankind.  I entertained many ideas that I simply could not work out artistically.  A pastoral scene of peace with farms and a village was gradually cultivated. A contrasting battle scene or a ruined village was beyond my artistic abilities as well as the strict limits of the fabric: 4 reds, 2 greens, 2 greys. 

I sought other ways to depict the consequences of war, looking up information on wars (so many, many more than I had ever imagined), and deciding to illustrate these using the death tolls of selected wars displayed on tombstones. Paring it down to the few wars you see depicted here was very difficult, but I settled on a mix of the most familiar wars and perhaps lesser-known wars with shocking death tolls.  I learned an awful lot along the way, coming to appreciate our secure and peaceful life, and how that is not the case for so many, past and present.

I was lucky enough to have this quilt juried into this Cherrywood Challenge. It will travel to major quilt shows throughout the U.S. during 2025. The show of these 225 Poppy quilts will spread a unified message: we remember. We will not cease to remember what others endured for us.  Our hearts are filled with thanks; are minds are filled with sorrow as to what has gone before and has still not ended.

This one’s for you, Dad. 

Other Cherrywood quilts that have joined the travelling shows in previous years include

Monarch Challenge:  Why Mexico

Bob Ross Challenge: Beyond the Palette

Den Lille Havfrue og Venner; The Little Mermaid and Friends

 

The Little Mermaid and Friends

Quilt No. 151

 
A humble tea towel can be clever enough to be inspirational, especially when it’s Ib Antoni’s art work. A gifted designer well known for his depiction of Danish life, he is often referred to as the national illustrator of Denmark. His artwork is a delight to peruse.
 
When I first saw the tea towel with Antoni’s design, The Little Mermaid and the Tourist, I could see how the story may have unfolded for that lucky tourist. After hours of delay, and a night spent wandering in a foreign airport eating random iffy snacks out of equally iffy vending machines he had arrived in Denmark. His cherished camera was still with him and his wallet remained smugly snuggled in the secret pocket of his underwear. His suitcase had been rerouted to Tokyo, but who cares? There are plenty of clothes in Denmark. The Traveler’s Adrenaline kicked in and he was ready to commit the beauty of Denmark to photographic history.  

The bonanza happened on Day Five – an actual mermaid in his viewfinder! He had achieved the prize-winning photo that would seal his fame and maybe fortune, freeing him from his dreary grey office job, transporting him away from the sea of desks and the ceaseless yakking. Best trip ever!
 
My friend Jennifer was lucky enough to revisit the Danish family who had hosted her younger self as an exchange student from Canada. While reconnecting with her second “family” 36 years later, she viewed the sights, reveled in the food, and bought the best tea towel in the country.  

Upon returning to Canada, the esteemed tea towel demanded more than an existence consorting with lesser tea towels in a drawer. One or two even had stains! Could the mermaid and the tourist possibly be quilted for display?  Turns out…they could!