Blooming

Thirty years ago, embarking on motherhood, we took a trip to Cape May. I went down to the water’s edge to smell the sea and listen to the waves. I was blooming at eight months pregnant and I felt such happiness!

Today the baby who was born a month later is 30 years old with two children of her own. And the cycle continues.

I used lots of free motion quilting to show the waves and sand. I used cheesecloth for the frothy water. I did lots of quilting on my face to bring out the contours of the bone structure. I zigzaged my hair with variegated thread so it would look wavy — that’s what it really looked like years ago when I had long flowing hair. Ok, maybe I made it a little redder — Artistic license!

Techniques: Raw edge applique on cotton stabilizer; free motion quilting

Materials: Batik fabrics; cheesecloth, cotton, polyester, rayon threads; cotton/poly batting.