Reverence

It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility.

Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder, 1965

When I began this particular quilt adventure back in September of 2020, I didn’t know where it would lead me. But isn’t that why we willingly set out on a new adventure? For the fun of seeing new things and then seeing things in a new way?

I chose Melanie Traylor’s (@southerncharmquilts) Anthologie quilt pattern for its creative possibilities and “anything goes” bohemian style. The design has an organic feel that allowed me to grow my quilt from the ground up, literally!

For the inspiration collage (below), I experimented with raw-edge applique to create a meadow humming with life: birds nesting, butterflies flitting, and flowers blooming.

Moving higher up the quilt were blocks resembling flowers. For me, they became ideal locations for a hummingbird feeding on nectar and for bees collecting pollen.

Seasons change and bring a multitude of colors to our days and months, but in the night sky, stars and planets across distant galaxies radiate their own special glow from their unique positions in the cosmos. I expressed these thoughts in the borders and upper tiers.

My quilt, which I named Reverence, speaks to the interdependence of all living things. Systems thinker Meg Wheatley writes, “We know from science that nothing in the universe exists as an isolated or independent entity” (Leadership and the New Science, 1992).

Reverence also suggests an act of humility and respect. According to Rachel Carson, who inspired the modern environmentalist movement, “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction” (Silent Spring, 1962).

(All photos in this post are mine. Please do not use them without my permission.)