Jacki and Marcia, our amazing Facebook admins, recently asked me:
“What is your favourite or most meaningful design, and where did you get inspiration from it?”
The answer is definitely The 'I Valentine' Quilt, designed and made in 2023.
I designed this quilt after a breakup, and I believe it represents a time in my life when I was finding myself and my style as an artist. It was a period of self-love and healing. During that time, I moved back to my parent's house and planned a trip to Europe for my 31st birthday when the quilt was finished.
I worked on the quilt daily with Mum, learning a lot about quilting and even using Mum's sketchy appliqué technique for some of the blocks. I am frequently featured in YouTube videos for the "I Valentine" quilt course and spent much time researching and designing, which was a very peaceful and happy time in my life.
This video is one of my favourites. Usually, our videos take a few weeks to map out, but in this series, we just set the cameras to record and would quilt together.
You can watch the series here
The inspiration for my design came from European Valentine Devotional cards dating from the medieval to the 1800s. One night, I stumbled upon a blog post from the Victoria and Albert Museum on Pinterest, which detailed the beautiful history of Valentine's devotionals that people would create for each other. I was amazed by the dedication, beauty, and precision it took to make them. This inspired me to create a quilt that serves as a devotional to oneself. Without delving too deeply into the political realm, I often feel that women are encouraged to dislike themselves in today's world. Therefore, creating a quilt focused on self-love is my form of therapy.
A snapshot from the blog post; you can read it here
I have been fascinated by fantasy and medieval aesthetics since I was young. One of my favourite toys when I was little was my 'Star Castle'. It would light up at night, which must have really inspired me.
I started illustrating picture books when I was little before I went to school, often while accompanying Mum at the quilting store when she was teaching. I still have these little books with my fairy tale drawings, and I remember my Mum's boss telling me about a modern-day royal family and a prince called Prince Harry. I wasn't interested in Harry; I was more interested in the idea of beautiful castles with unique tapestries and quilts like my Mum's quilts, which showcase stunning artistry that has lasted for a thousand years.
Even a year later, I still look at the "I Valentine" quilt as it hangs in Mum's studio and features in our current videos. I feel proud of my work, although I wish I had done some designs differently. However, I believe this is a common feeling among quilters and artists. The quilt will always remind me of the time of healing and self-love with Mum and everyone who participated in the online course with us.
This period of designing the quilt influenced my Nature's Creatures series, which is very Art Deco inspired, and now Time to Bloom, which is an amalgamation of all the styles of art I like.
A vlog about designing my Natrure's Creatures Applique
After the course ended and we finished the quilt, I finally went on my Europe trip and visited all the medieval palaces and castles I had been obsessed with as a child. There, I saw many handmade quilts, and while no one knew who made them or what they meant, they still hung on the walls of these palaces hundreds of years later. They bore little blood spatters from pricked fingers on the needle, a remnant of the maker's soul for all to see, a mystery that still intrigues many historians today.
This is the main quilt that took my breath away as it showcases the intricate and important work of master quilters of the Renaissance period. I spotted this quilt while touring the Palaces of Genoa, Italy. This quilt pictured also had an identical twin hanging opposite it. I found them on the second-floor palace dwelling of Gio Francesco, the Doge (Head of State) of the Republic of Genoa and the last king of Corsica. As soon as you step into his dwellings, you are reminded of the prestigious family he is a part of by the two identical quilts hanging opposite each other, symbolising his family's coat of arms.
True works of art, created by anonymous master quilters, designed to showcase a family's power and wealth, and displayed for all to see.
During my European trip, I encountered many important and historical textiles and quilts. Although the creators, both men and women, were unknown, their works were displayed in galleries for everyone to admire.
These quilts convey the intricate history of quilting in the Medieval and Renaissance periods and illustrate the significant role quilting played in the lives of the European community. In addition to being a practical domestic craft, they were decorative pieces representing cultural identity and meaning. They were influenced by the artworks of the period, and the quilting techniques heavily influenced fashion trends of the time.
Appliqué played a crucial role in the creation of Renaissance quilts. It enabled designers to incorporate intricate patterns and shapes into their work, resulting in visually stunning art pieces. Quilts often took years to produce, and a community of master quilt makers was typically involved. The quilting circles provided creators with a sense of community as they spent years together meticulously appliquéing and stitching by hand. Although only the names of the individuals the quilt was made for are remembered, these works hold significant cultural importance as family heirlooms passed down through generations, sewing the creator's essence throughout time.
I asked my tour guide who made the quilts, and she replied she wasn't sure but then proceeded to tell the tour about every artist who painted the large paintings in the room and frescos. I forgot all those artists' names; however, gazing upon the quilts, I could feel the makers hidden in the stitches. They said, "I was here and I mattered."
Me standing in a courtyard of one of the Palaces in Genoa.
If you want to watch the making of the 'I Valentine' Quilt, you can check out our series 'The Quilt-as-you-go Chronicles' on YouTube.
If you made this quilt with us, please share some photos below.
I also want to go to Europe again next year, so if you have found some beautiful quilts hidden in castles or galleries, please let me know in the comments so I can visit them.
Or feel free to comment on your favourite European destinations for me! Thank you so much!
Lots of love xx
Alaura
You captured the essence of quilting in this beautifully written blog post. I had to take a breath when I finished reading it and go get a tissue. A quilt lasts beyond the life of the quilter and the recipient of the quilt. So much goes on in life while making a quilt and all those funny things that happen in your life as well as the sad ones are embedded in the quilt I just gifted a quilt to a special friend as a wedding gift. I’d started it in the spring but stopped because my husband unexpectedly passed away. I could hardly bring myself to finish it as it carried a plethora of memories. As I wrote …