Venus explores the idea of the 'muse' and divine inspiration: the idea, signs and symbols, listening, love, femininity, friendship, romance, intuition, history and craft.
In my case for this quilt, inspiration came from divine Venus herself, goddess of beauty, love and abundance. I wanted to honor all things feminine in this quilt with soft colors inspired by Roman fresco and Italian Renaissance art - especially one of my favorite paintings, Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. It is a celebration of Venusian symbols: shells, roses, sea foam, doves, cupid’s bow and arrow, and nature's abundance.
The quilt is pieced both by machine and by hand, appliquéd, and embroidered. I incorporated antique lace, vintage crocheted flowers, and natural dyes to reference the many ways women’s hands have shaped textile and fiber art history. This piece is hand-quilted in rippling waves. The embroidered hand of the artist reaches up with a shell offering towards the golden hand of Venus extending down, showering pentacles of inspiration. An embroidered portrait of the goddess smiles coyly from the side.
Much of the composition is assembled like a collage, using pieces from previous unfinished sewing projects, fabrics naturally dyes and printed with plants by myself and my friend Megan McGrath, and repurposed clothing and vintage home textiles.
Batting is a cotton. Binding is hand-stitched.
Care:
Machine wash cold, delicate cycle using gentle, pH-neutral detergent. Air dry or tumble dry on no heat. To keep colors from fading, store or hang out of direct sunlight. Create warm memories, love, patch, and mend.
