It all started when I walked into Fabric Buy The Yard, a fabric and quilt store in Shiprock, NM. Sitting on the shelf was a pattern by Barbara Morgan called 'Navajo Wedding Basket'.
I've made quilts before and felt emboldened to try something "a little closer to home". The pattern was for a 24" diameter quilt, but I wanted something bigger. Me-being-me put pencil to paper and began calculating the amount of fabric I would need, the size of piecing required, and the overall feat this would be if I could pull it off.
As I began piecing the fabrics together I realized that this needed something to further distinguish it from my other quilts. I decided to hand stitch the quilting design. The process to hand stitch took a long time and I remained dedicated to the effort, knowing that the end result would be something meaningful. Meaningful, indeed.
I live in Colorado and visit home a handful of times each year. When I realized my work would bring me back to the location I purchased the quilt pattern, I knew I had to bring the quilt home.
I'll admit seeing the blanket in it's full splendor on the Navajo Nation awoke something within my soul. It may sound silly, but it was healing; a type of elation that we all need to experience, perhaps you have.
In my poem above, 'home' refers to the Navajo Nation of which I am a proud member and where I spent a majority of my childhood and young adulthood. 'Them' are my grandparents and my ancestors, those who molded me at my kinaalda, and my family who have departed the earth.
This quilt traveled across the Navajo Nation this past week. It is so treasured and is one I will pass down to my son one day. What started as a fun attempt to enlarge a pattern has evolved into a spiritual journey.
Thank you for reading as I wanted to share this with all of you. Thank you for following me in this journey and being a source of encouragement in the creative process.
Will I make more of these Navajo Wedding Basket quilts to share with you? I want to, yes. Stay tuned.
xx Chels
