All Is Full of Love

When you have a deep love for a hobby, you are often asked for an origin story. What sparked your interest? How did you get involved in that? This especially happens when there are misconceptions about your hobby, ahem, primarily that it is for a certain group of people and you, perhaps, do not fit that mold. When I was a younger quilter, I was constantly asked “why quilting?”. Because people assume that the sewing and textile arts belong to a certain demographic. And of course quilting is a time intensive endeavor, which in our society it is viewed with suspicion to enjoy a not for profit pursuit. Gasp. In all honesty, I used to get a smidge defensive when asked about why I quilt; I felt judged over my hobby, which was likely unintentional. Yet I too am interested in how people started to pursue their interests. I love a beautiful “I got enamored with X because of ____” tale. 

In the last month, I had a couple of opportunities to do a self check-in on the “why” of my quilting practice.  The first was over a lovely wine tasting with friends when the conversation turned to the topic of our collective hobbies. When it came to my turn, I said straight from the heart (likely encouraged somewhat by the generous pours), “I cannot imagine my life without quilting. I thought I understood happiness before, but when I started quilting I found a whole new level of joy. I feel more fulfilled and it brings an unquantifiable amount of creativity to my days.”. After my disclosure I let my commentary sit for a few moments and reader, I felt this truth fizzing in my cells. Amazing and so comforting. The second time I had to reaffirm my “why” was after learning that the above cyanotype quilt created for a juried art show was not accepted. On this second occasion, I was bummed out and suddenly these icky, creeping thoughts popped up such as “well, what’s wrong with my piece?”. Why do our minds go to this place based on one show rejection? Well because I am a human and rejection stings. Then I remembered my deep profession of love and the exclusion became much less significant. 

I did not start quilting in order to get praise or rewards. I started quilting because I love blankets and wanted an outlet to show my love to those in my circle. Now with social media, a tool which is designed to document our lives for validation (likes, followers, monetization, etc.) , I wonder if we, in the collective sense, have lost the joy of creating for the craft instead of creating for a post. I know that this is an oversimplification of social media and there are countless folks who utilize the tool to share while also making real connections. I have really cut back on my use of social media because I’ve found myself not enjoying it anymore. I love seeing all of the creatives out there, yet after time spent scrolling, I am left with an emptiness.

As mentioned, this quilt was made as an entry for a regional art show celebrating our local shrub steppe landscape. When one thinks of the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, lush green ferns, mosses and towering trees come to mind. Which is a true description for about a third of the state. The landscape on the other side of the Cascade Mountain range is desert with sage brush and scrubby small plants. There is a whole lotta beauty in the shrub steppe, albeit in a much more subtle way. You have to pay attention to the beauty over here — it is not the dramatic and bold flora of the west (aka “wet”) side that smacks you upside the head. To create these prints, I used flowers from a local nonprofit flower farm called Petals for Patients. Founded by a doctor, the mission of the organization is that flowers are healing and everyone deserves them. Bouquets are gifted to folks in need of extra love: shelters, care homes, and hospices. The enterprise is funded through donations and the sales of bouquets. The prints I created evoke the shapes you can see in shrub steppe. By using the power of the summer sun and local flowers, I created my own little fabric diorama of our local landscape.

This summer I have been very active making cyanotype prints while the sun is near its maximum and the flowers are plentiful. There is a certain magic in sun printing as each and every print is different — even on the same day and with the same plant. A cloud may cross your frame or the plant’s moisture may shift. When working with nature, it is essential (and fun!) to let nature do what nature is going to do. When the fabric goes into the bath and the print emerges, I ooh and ahh at each one. The result is always a bit of a surprise. Another insight I’ve had this summer is that, like canning the produce from my garden, I am preserving and putting up flowers for the future via these prints. I am extending the life of my flowers to enjoy, well, forever. Or for at least as long as the fabric lasts…

The tunes that helped me along on this piece’s journey were courtesy of the mighty and incomparable Bjork. Now if there is one performer who creates solely for the love of music and art, it is Bjork. Her music is not made for the radio; her fashions are not made for reproduction; she is in many ways, not commercial. Yet, she is phenomenally successful and deeply appreciated around the world. Bjork is the most famous Icelander and a national hero. While visiting the county in 2005, I was happily surprised to discover interviews in the English newspapers asking her opinions of current events as an expert, because her love of country is deep and true. She leverages her notoriety and is outspoken about human rights and the destruction of climate change. Her efforts have been used primarily as a voice for Iceland and her current energies advocate for the return of wild salmon. Salmon restoration is of great importance where I live too. Bjork is both a powerhouse musician and an awesome human being. A woman who embodies freedom, love and art in every single action. 

I have been listening to Bjork since my teens and therefore have spent many, many hours listening to both The Sugarcubes (her first band) and her solo work. I often default back to my favorite album, 1997’s Homogenic, a collection of amazingness including “Joga” and the grandiose aural masterpiece “All is Full of Love”. The song is hard to describe except that it is huge and powerful, like a waterfall of sounds that you have to stop to listen to. A song that forces you to be present and enjoy. A song with a mantra to pay attention to. 

Like most creative folks, my hobby is an expression of love and also a vehicle to carry that love in a physical way. As a maker, when I look at creations from other people, I see (and often, feel) the love they put into their work. I’m happy to share that this quilt story has a very happy ending. It will now be part of a fundraiser for the Petals for Patients nonprofit, a circuitous and serendipitous path back home for the flowers, in a different format.  I am honored to be able to extend the life of flowers that were so lovingly cultivated into a permanent art piece, that will also help raise valuable funds for a remarkable project. Love can multiply just like that. As Bjork reminds us, all really is full of love, it IS all around you.