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Through use of color and design, my quilt is a reflection of my online quilting friends. The fabric choices of quiet and loud, subtle and strong, cool and warm, contemporary and traditional, serious and whimsical illustrate the myriad of personalities, design styles, and the quilters' favorite colors.
The design contains multi-segmented three-quarter circles at a the four corners of an implied "frame" and these indicate the geographical diversity represented by the group. The focal point of the design is a handmade batik illustrating expressive masks. These represent visitors to the quilting forum who soon become part of the sharing, laughing and stitching at the quilting frame. The partial circles represent friendship groups which are never closed, but merely add more segments when welcoming new members.
The philosophy of the Quilting Bee, whether virtual or actual, is to make friends, share, and learn, all of which sustains the art of quilting for future generations just as others have done for us.
The quilt has phrases stitched on the border in cursive lettering and done in metalllic thread. They read as follows:
Left side border: "Strangers met to quilt, soon masks vanished, and forever friends were made."
Top border: "The beautiful rests on the foundation of the necessary." "Was Emerson a quilter?"
Right side border: "Words spoken long ago at quilting bees can be heard wherever quilters gather."
Bottom border: "Quilts celebrate family, events and friends. This one honors all online quilters."