Emily Dickenson is sometimes called America's greatest poet; a statement with which I agree most of the time. Her poems aren't easy even though they may appear so, and too often teachers introduce poetry to youngsters by giving them Emily Dickenson. In itself that's not a bad thing, but I wish they'd explain to children that as they grow older, they will discover more beneath the surface of her poems (true of all good literature). Anyway, poetry aside, you may know that Emily Dickenson in her later years rarely left her home and was partial to white clothing. With that in mind, I named the garden we planted in the front of our home our Emily Dickenson garden as it has only white flowers. The Immortality iris in my photo was taken in the spring of this year, and I think you can see why I adore white flowers. Just look at the light! Imagine how this flower dances in one's vision even in the twilight.
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| Carolina Lily block, Day 1 |
Wednesday evening I went to the Flying Geese (our local quilt shop) for a class with my first quilting teacher, Karen. This is a monthly class deigned to sharpen our abilities while making lovely little quilts. And I do mean "little". This month our assignment was a quilt called Sweet Caroline that features a traditional block called the Carolina Lily. It's a block that I really like so I was delighted with Karen's choice. Typically the block is made with colors from the red family: pink, maroon, dusty rose, et al. Of course, everyone chooses their own colorway. I chose white. Here's what I have so far. It will be fun (for me, anyway) to post my progress and have a visual record of this project. At least I don't have to keep anything secret!
As you can tell, I am using my own garden as my inspiration, and that's my point today really. People ask me where I get my ideas, and frequently I glibly say that they're just in my head. While that is true for the most part, that isn't a very helpful answer. Inspiration is all around us. Even though this example is a traditional block, I will make it my own by looking around and seeing. That's the key - the ability to see.
Anyway, here is a white lily from our Emily Dickinson garden. The name of this one is Casa Blanca and it's a favorite (both the lily and the photo). You can see why.
What's in your garden that could spark a re-interpretation of a traditional block, photo, or drawing?
again, a lovely (very lovely) block. It always makes me happy to see how you interpret an "assignment". Thank you for reminding us all that inspiration is all around us- sometimes we all become way too literal.
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