Saeglopur

To live in the Pacific Northwest is to live surrounded by volcanos; some are very dormant, some not so much. They are our guideposts and we know where we are based upon what volcanos we can see (well, when they’re not shrouded in clouds). If we are super lucky, our windows angle toward them and we never tire of the views. We climb them, ski them and sleep on their slopes. Most of us have way too many photographs of them. When it is their time, we will be severely impacted by their eruptions and yet we still idolize them. We call them mountains, even though they are volcanos. (Prime example: Mount Rainier)

Saeglopur is the result of another quilt challenge for the spectacular art quilt group the Improvisational Quilters (IQ) in Durango, Colorado. The talent in this group of quilters is on another level and I am oh so lucky that they still allow this non-resident to participate! For this challenge, each quilter was given the same two fabrics, the black/white polka dots and the red, with the caveat that the red must enter and exit somewhere on the quilt as a 4″ line. All of the quilts are the same height (30″) and so when they are hung together in a grouped show, the red fabric creates a continuous ribbon across all of the quilts. Nifty, eh? It is called a quilt challenge for a reason so I use these opportunities to really step out of my comfort zone of half-square triangles and wonky strips. When I saw these two fabrics together, I immediately thought of molten lava oozing out of a volcano. (I have no idea how my mind works the way it does, I just roll with it.) Making a pictorial quilt is something I have never done before because, well I actually don’t know why but probably because it is not intuitive to me.

Those of us in the PNW are obviously not alone in our proximity to volcanos; every year volcanos erupt and wreak havoc on people and landscapes. (Just look at the recent pics of the eruption in the Canary Islands wiping out homes — yikes.) My volcano is very generalized and modeled after pictures of eruptions in Iceland because 1) I LOVE Iceland and 2) I LOVE Icelandic music. When I visited in 2005, there were no active eruptions but the ground was steaming everywhere and the place feels very volcanic. (The above pictures are from Yellowstone, where the ground also steams.) I could easily devote another entire blog to my love of Iceland and its music, so for the sake of succinctness just understand that a chunk of my heart belongs to that country and its otherworldly landscape, music and gorgeous sweaters.

Since this quilt is a very loose interpretation of an Icelandic volcano, the musical accompaniment is all Icelandic artists. To get myself in the Icelandic state of mind, I started off with a few Bjork albums — THE Queen of Icelandic music and a longtime favorite of mine. Laying out the design and piecing while listening to Bjork and Kaleo (a new-to-me Icelandic band that has a bit of a Black Keys sort of thing going on and it’s awesome) created a great foundation for Saeglopur. But since this is what I consider a “landscape quilt”, the music itself had to evoke and be that place. In my opinion, there is no band more synonymous with the rawness of the Icelandic landscape than Sigur Ros. The first time I heard Sigur Ros, my thought stream was “What is this and where has this been all of my life?”. The combination of ethereal sounds, Jonsi’s falsetto voice and the orchestral drama literally affect me on a cellular level. Sigur Ros is transformative and every single time I listen to them, I am transported. Not to mention that Jonsi plays an electric guitar with a cello bow! There really should be a Nobel prize for this level of genius.

To start with a picture of a volcano and translate it in fabric is not my modus operandi. I had to consider things like scale and texture differently than I have in all of my other pieces. There were MANY times during this quilt when I stopped myself and asked W.W.B.D? (What Would Bjork Do?) Well, we all know that Bjork would say “It’s art, don’t overthink it” and then put on her very best swan dress and go out and rock the world. So I did as the imaginary Bjork on my shoulder recommended and went with the flow. (Ha, ha a lava pun!) You always hear how eruptions create the best sunrises and sunsets and so I started at the top of the quilt, with a fabric conveniently in my stash, and crafted the design from there. I also played around with the size of the volcano, ultimately deciding that if I’m going to make a volcano quilt, I’m going to make A Volcano Quilt. There is zero subtly in this design! The giant lava flow (aka my red ribbon) is exactly 4″ across the body because I dig the contrast of the bold red with the black polka dots. Once I created the foundation, I appliqued (sewed the fabric on top) the top eruption and lava strips out of scraps. The bottom lava flows are reproduction Civil War prints because as lava cools, it becomes darker. W.W.B.D? “No rules!” The quilting is very simple wavy lines that follow the contours of the volcano and the sky. This quilt will be displayed in public, so I finished the whole thing with tons of multicolored beads for additional texture. (The sheer amount of beads may not be obvious in these photos.) I finished the quilt with a satin stitch alternative binding after being inspired by my dear friend Janie.

Sigur Ros albums are reserved for the times when I want to do nothing for an hour except lay on the floor and let the notes seep into my cells. Ergo, I have never sewn to these albums. Just like when I started Quiltunes and quilted to Coltrane, it was initially hard for me to sew to something reserved for my chill out time. While much of the construction occurred during upbeat Icelandic albums, I did all of the quilting and beadwork to Sigur Ros and allowed myself to stop and listen when so moved. Just because it is a challenge quilt doesn’t mean one must suffer. So much time was spent beading the quilt top, and this is when I really got to binge my tunes at a higher volume (also because my beloved was out in the woods). Of all the Sigur Ros albums, my three faves are: ( ), Agaetis Bryjun and Takk and I love them for different reasons. However, I am spoiled and also have a super special live cd that really makes my heart soar.

On October 7, 2008 a ziploc containing a cd and a handwritten note was slipped under my apartment door. As an apartment manager, I was very used to this delivery method containing corcerns like “my toilet hasn’t stopped running for two weeks” or “I can hear my neighbor’s music”, “smell their food”, etc. But this baggie contained a very sweet message that said “We saw you at the Sigur Ros show and thought you’d enjoy this disc our friend working the sound board recorded.” WHAT?! To understand what a thoughtful gift this is you have to remember that this was 2008, when not everyone was recording everything on their phones and sharing it with the universe on their YouTube channels or whatever medium is used these days. I may be one of only a handful of people with this recording AND because it was recorded on the sound board, the quality is superb! When I put this disc on, I am immediately transported back to the velvet seat of the Arlene Schnitzer concert hall and that unbelievable show. Damn, I miss live music and I really miss the innocence of the pre-phone past when people went to experience a show and not be on a handheld screen. Yep, I’m a curmudgeon.

In case it isn’t totally obvious in the above missive, I really had a blast (ha, another volcano pun!) creating Saeglopur. The quilt is named after the grandiose song from the album Takk, a song that builds up and then releases just like, you guessed it, an eldfjall. Quilting gives me the opportunity to express myself in very different ways and I am thankful for that. This piece in particular allowed me to challenge myself both artistically and sonically. I am very excited to see how the show comes together and how everyone else utilized the two fabrics. If you’re at all interested in Icelandic music, let me know and I will gladly assist in your pursuit. I didn’t even scratch the surface of my musical nerdiness here, so beware, there are more Icelandic music quilts to come!

Albums listened to: Bjork Debut, Homegenic and Post; Kaleo A/B; Sigur Ros Ageatis Bryjun, ( ), Takk, Valturi, med sud i eyrum, a live disc from October 6, 2008 in Portland, OR. Note that these album names are anglified so the titles are slightly different in the Icelandic alphabet.

Postscript: there are no pictures of Iceland in this post because when I visited in 2005, I photographed with a film camera. Remember those? Oh the fear of ruined film when your luggage went through the airport x-ray machines! How discerning you had to be with the amount of shots due to the limited number per roll. The stress of changing your film outside. No instant gratification. Yes, those days.