Sunday, December 02, 2012

Done!


I finished the quilting on the background matte for Walk in the Woods 2 this weekend, and got the quilt sew to the matte.  All I have left to do is the label and sleeve- and, since I am planning to enter this in a show in Salt Lake in January, I won't be slow about those!

The quilting on the matte that bothered me when I started grew on me as I did it.  I may do it a little differently for the next in the series, but I'm happy with this one.  And if you are wondering, the matte is intentionally longer on the bottom.  I quilted a combination of leaf outlines and straight lines on the matte.

Last weekend we went to a couple of craft fairs.  Most of it was stuff that held no interest for me, but one vendor grabbed my attention immediately.  She had an entire booth of hand-sewn small quilts and pillows.  After a lot of deliberation, I chose this one- I couldn't resist that shot of chartreuse!







The quilt is entirely made by hand- as far as I can tell, using reverse applique and no or a very thin batt.  As for where it comes from,I'll just quote the information I received with the quilt:

The amazing story of Lila Handicrafts began perhaps thousands of years ago when women in the desert area of Pakistan started making beautiful textiles and quilts.  Patterns and colors in the cotton were passed down from mother to daughter produced time honored practical and beautiful quilts called rallis.

In 2004, men and women in the small village of Tehsil Diploh, Sindh in the far southern part of the Thar Desert formed a cooperative to make and sell their rallis.  They are from the Hindu untouchable group  and had very few opportunities to make money in a rural area.  Through the internet, they reached Patricia Stoddard who had written the first book about rallis.  The rallis from Lila Handicrafts were first sold at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market in 2006.  Since then, they have been sold every year.  They were even featured in "O" Magazine in 2010!

Originally, the money from the rallis was used to provide a primary school for their children.  In August 2011, a terrible flood hit the entire region affecting about 6 million people.  Selling their Lila rallis provided the families with some funds to rebuild their lives and continue in their good efforts.  Special thanks to SHINEhumanity.org for their help in sustaining and rebuilding the community!  For more information see www.ralliquilt.com or www.ralliquilt.com.uk.

I love being able to buy a beautiful piece of fiber art, and helping a community in a poor part of the globe at the same time.  Once I get a sleeve sewn on the back, it will be a wonderful shot of color in my home- and a reminder of how women throughout the world find both joy in creating beauty with fabric, needle and thread.  

I'm linking this post up with Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays.  Go look at all the other creative spirits linked up there!



6 comments:

JB said...

This quilt is a jewel. Everything comes together so well. I get the feeling of leaves falling through the trees. You've nailed it.

Judy said...

I love your Walk in the Woods 2 - it is striking!
and hooray for you for buying that lovely little quilt! You've really done some good!

xxoo

Del said...

Congrats on completing the lovely "Walk in the Woods" - it has great color and the quilting is perfect for it. What is the size? The Lila quilt is an eye-opener - literally! Hope your holiday preparations are going smoothly.

Judy Ferguson said...

Love how the color blends. Beautiful.

Sylvia said...

Patricia came and spoke about Rallis at our little quilt group. It was a good talk.

Love the walk in the woods!

Vicki Miller said...

Glad youve finished your walk in the woods and it is gorgeous. I love the pattern of the lila quilt