Genevieve Guadalupe – Country – Emblems
For this year’s challenge I chose to represent the country of Peru. For a symbol I chose the Andean cross, the “Chakana” which is a cross made up of equal arms, a superimposed square and a hole at its center. This forms a stepladder cross. Each set of three steps have their meaning:
-future, present, past
-heaven, earth, underworld
-peace, war, intelligence
-condor, puma, snake
The center hole represents Cusco, the center of the Inka Empire, it is also a portal through the different worlds.
The four sides represent:
-north, south, east, west
-earth, water, fire, air
-the four big stars in the southern cross
-spring, summer, fall, winter
The twelve corners represent each month of the year
My other symbol is the alpaca.
Materials and technique: cotton fabric, cotton batting, thread, embroidery floss, woodblock, ink. Machine pieced, machine quilted, woodblock printed, hand embroidery.
FIFTEEN BY FIFTEEN 
What a clever combination of so many elements! It is also interesting to see another Peruvian story in our group. Very different yet so interesting!
I only guessed right because of the alpaca, what a creative way to represent Peru.
Great work, so full of meaning and such wonderful use of colour. The alpacas are wonderful… It will be interesting to see how your series continues, between you and Ann we will have two different interpretations of Peru, really look forward to it! Love it.
Powerful use of colours and graphics. The addition of alpacas completes this stunning quilt beautifully. I love it. Your explanations are very interesting and complete. See you in the next episode!
Great combination of powerful colours and strong design ! Your explanations are very interesting and useful as I don’t know a lot about Peru …
From the animals, that I thought were llamas I thought of S. America but not the exact country. Love your story and agree with others on the design and use of colors.
Of course it’s yours, I knew it! Love all the bold colors and symbolism you have incorporated in your design. The holes and hand stitching adds nice texture and dimension. Well done Genevieve!
Such a lot of symbolism in your quilt! The colors are lovely and I adore your alpaca’s! Really yours!!
Who could have guessed all that symbolism! Thanks for telling us. Didn’t guess the country but know that it had to be South American due to the animals. Peru made an indelible impression, I would love to return there. It will be so interesting to see yours and Ann’s interpretations of the country. Can’t wait to see more.
I didn’t know about the meanings of the cross and I find this very interesting. You have made a lovely quilt from this symbolism and the addition of the alpacas is another great icon and they are beautifully stitched. I love your choice of colours which makes for a very vibrant quilt.
This is so colourful! The alpacas are great and the whole design is striking. Thank you for the details in your explanation – I know almost nothing about Peru so it’s good to learn more.
I love all the symbolism you have incorporated into your quilt. I knew right away that we must be representing the same country but with different points of view. I’m excited to see where you take us on your journey through Peru.