Bereavement Quilt depicting the Bluebell Woods of England
Why are Bluebell Woods of England important?
Jan told me her mother grew up in England close to bluebell woods, and she wanted a wall hanging made from her mother’s clothes with this theme. The memory quilt above was my rendition, working with the mother’s beautiful blouses and shirts. The Bluebell Woods of England are famous so there are plenty of beautiful photos on the internet. I found one I liked and used it as my template. In the far distance is a white figure walking along the path – the mother.
Memory Quilt honoring mother with depiction of Bluebell Woods of England – detail
How did I make the Bluebell Woods quilt?
When making bereavement or memory quilts, I don’t always have the perfect fabric, but in this case I did. Note the ‘leaves’ of the trees up close, and also the material I used for the sunlight shading on the trees (in the middle of the picture). At the bottom of the picture, you can see the “ghost” up close – my idea of her mother still enjoying the bluebell woods.
Memory Quilt honoring mother with depiction of bluebell woods of England
Creating a Background
It is a rare treat for me to get blouses to work with such as the ones you can see in the background. I started with those fabrics, adding trees, leaves, etc., to build the picture, but the background was crucial. I only used two separte blouses to get the desired effect of a distant dense woods.
Memory Quilt – Bluebell Woods of England
I was also very fortunate that this English lady had a variety of blue and purple blouses to represent the varying colors of the bluebells which cover the forest floor so richly.