It’s fascinating for me to describe how a quilt comes to being: it begins as a subconscious collection of four or five fabrics, usually, and then I start to become aware of the collection that’s been swelling, and begin to do it more consciously. The quilt you see in the picture is a collection of fabrics from many sources: fabrics acquired on trips, fabric cut from clothing that didn’t fit after all, clothing bought at the thrift store specifically to cut up, and fabrics found in the attic that had been waiting for years for a commission into the world. The quilt always comes to being through a group of colors calling out.
This blue, turquoise and citrine swell happened during the recent upheaval of moving and change in our family, and the colors, textures and arrangement required in this process became a place of nurture, confirmation, and comfort for me as I experienced and created so much uncertainty during this time. I find it interesting that when I researched the meaning of these colors they were all themes of truth, calm, and clarity.
God and spiritual connections come to me through color and harmony so frequently that it is amazing to have a final product such as this one close to me. To make it more personal for the benefit of myself, now, and my kids in the future, I stitched into the quilting of the layers the names of about 20 folks who have been especially supportive and encouraging through this time of change, many of whom are from the West Hills Friends Community. When I feel sad or uncertain, I nestle down into this quilt and feel covered by the love of my friends and especially, my Friends. I thank God frequently for the gift of this quilt and all it represents.
—Anne Marie Bowman Bracco
Quilting the layers at my friend Michelle’s cabin in Tierra del Mar, New Year’s Day, 2012.
The finished quilt in my room in Newberg