As you know by now, I am very proud of my Estonian heritage. I am also very intrigued and inspired by the designs and color of the traditional handwork and folk costumes. Last summer I posted pictures from our vacation in Estonia, including the colorful costumes from the Dance Festival and the beautiful handwork from the island of Kihnu. Much of my work to date has been influenced (albeit subconsciously) by these designs that have surrounded me all my life. This spring, however, I decided to very consciously interpret these designs in my quilting.
I have just finished two of a three quilt series that I am calling my Scandinavian Quilt Series. Although one of the designs is taken directly from a traditional knitted Estonian vest, the patterns are what most people would associate with Scandinavian knitted sweater design. In my opinion, Estonians are most closely associated with the Scandinavian peoples and their designs are very similar.
In somewhat of a paradox, I chose to make these quilts from Batiks, created in a part of the world that could not be more opposite, Bali. However, I really like the way these hand-dyed fabrics simulate the texture of the hand-dyed wools that are used to create the beautiful knits.
Scandinavian Christmas is the first in the series. Ironically, the green fabric which inspired this quilt was from a line called “Jungle Bean” from Island Batik, Inc. However, rather than jungle foliage, I saw evergreen boughs. Although, I colored the sashing the same as the star “backgrounds,” I added cornerstones of yellow, reminiscent of candles burning on an old fashioned Christmas tree.
The pattern (HMD-105) is now available at www.QuiltWoman.com. Coming soon: Scandinavian Sky
While I am not usually a big fan of batiks, they really are lovely in these designs! It’s definitely an unusual marriage (design origin and fabric origin), but it works!
Connie
Thanks! These are also not your usual batiks! I think the batiks that the talented ladies at Island Batik design are very unique. Wait till you see Scandinavian Sky! Helle-May