Folklore - Serena Greene - "The Story Tree"

"The Story Tree"

When I first heard the challenge topic of 'Folklore' I immediately had an image jump to mind of an event from my childhood. My sister and I and our Grandmother jumping up and down on my parents bed when a snake was found in my brother's bedroom after a camping trip. I can't have been any older than 3 or 4. It started me thinking about how stories are passed down through generations and become part of our identities as individuals, families, communities, nations - even humanity as a whole. Our oral traditions, our stories, our folklore - are gems of wisdom passed through the generations to entertain, protect and enrich the lives of the present and future. 




 In my journal I wrote "I'm imagining in ancient days an elder sitting beneath a gnarled oak tree with the children of the tribe sitting around her as she spins tales of old times. Only the finest stories would survive, like gems from the past, dropping like fruit from the family tree."







I experimented with white screen printing ink and made the vertical stripes of the background, representing history - the ghosts of the past.

I used vliesofix to create the create the tree and the glowing pool that represent the present and future, the well of wisdom from which we draw our stories. I machine stitched around the raw edges and then attached fusible batting to the rear. I used a free motion zigzag stitch to thread sketch the pool and free motion quilting on the tree. I hand stitched metallic thread onto the "ghost trees" and after many unsuccessful experiments at an aesthetically pleasing representation of the "stories" decided on a simple hand embroidered flower in chain stitch. Machine binding.

The richness of the present is sown in the past

I have enjoyed creating my first contribution to Art Quilts Around the World. Hopefully there will be many more to come.