Click here to see a detail. You can see the miniature study I did of this quilt on the other 8 of Cups page.

Here's the official artist's statement:

I chose my cards "at random," but ended up with cards that fit the time in my life very well. The Eight of Cups card spoke to me of needed changes, and of a desire to leave behind a few material concerns for something more meaningful or spiritual. I began work on this card at the beginning of a period of personal discovery.

As I worked with the design, I struggled with how to make a quilt that would hold the viewer's interest at 24 x 36" and still look good as a small tarot card. Once I had my basic design on paper, I spent a weekend making a small (8 x 10") version to help me work through some of the design issues and get used to seeing the smaller image.

I decided to use simple one-patch shapes to make up certain areas. The mountains use the Delectable Mountains triangles. The foreground of small squares is from my collection of pansy fabrics, and Grandmother's Flower Garden hexagons form the shoreline. Fabric choices were sometimes difficult, too; the hand-dyed sky was easy enough, but finding a fabric to represent water was more of a challenge.

I had to remind myself (as I often do) to stop being so literal and allow myself some artistic freedom, something that does not come easily to me. Allowing myself that freedom was another lesson from this card, a part of the quest for something more meaningful.

Here's the official artist's statement:

While working on the Six of Swords, I was going through a period of deep introspection and re-evaluation of my life. This card was very fitting. It speaks to me of changes, of moving forward and recovery, or perhaps a physical or spiritual journey.

The design of my card is fairly traditional, but I chose to strip-piece the background to break up the otherwise large, solid areas. The quilt went together fairly quickly, and I decided to quilt designs in the larger areas to reinforce the imagery of those areas. Trees are quilted into the mountains, clouds in the sky, and fish in the water.

It wasn't too long until I realized that I had lost the joy in the process. I usually love hand quilting, but working on this quilt had become painful. I wrote to the group about my concerns, and one of the members shared another interpretation of the card that enabled me to move forward again.

She suggested that the Six of Swords may also represent perspective, getting distance, and taking care of the hurt parts of the self. Suddenly I understood that my personal "recovery" had stalled, and I was no longer moving forward. I had to take a break from the quilt and spend some time refocusing. After a time, I was able to return to it with the joy and enthusiasm that it deserved.

Click here to read about it and see lots of details.