The inspiration for this wall quilt came from a visit to my Mom's 90 year old friend, Jean, who had just moved into a new seniors' residence that had still not had any decorating done on the walls. The colours in her room and the common areas, predominately greenish-gold and yellow, prompted my use of the soft yellow batik of the background and the butterfly which is a symbol of new life.
The wings are constructed of layers of different colours of organza and tulle. The layers have a margin of light gold cord bobbin-stitched around them about 1/2" from the edge. Glitter and iridescent flakes have been encased between the layers and then the wings have been stitched with metallic thread in a free-motion design. They are then hand-beaded. The butterfly body is made from an upholstery fabric that is rich in texture. The butterfly is sitting on a branch that is embellished with free-motion embroidery and bits of thread. The border is constructed of olive green crushed taffeta which sets it off beautifully.
Just a few weeks before I was going to make a trip to Maple Ridge to take the wall hanging to "Auntie" Jean, that I got the news that she had quietly slipped away from life -- but I know that she would have loved the detail and the symbolism in this piece, and remembered the many times that we worked together on sewing projects when I was growing up. . . Click on the image to see more detail.
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