Dreaming in rhyme

Well, it is time for another reveal in this wonderfully inspiring group.

I ended up really struggling with this quarter's theme "Dreams". From the outset I intended to make a Dreamcatcher and spent most of the quarter trying to work out how to achieve the transparent, gossamer thin look that I wanted and still make a quilt.

With one week to go before the deadline I eventually decided that I needed to have a re-think!

Thoughts of dreams led me to thinking of sleeping and the rhymes and rituals associated with getting a child to sleep. When our grandson visits he loves to climb into our bed in the morning and go through a book of nursery rhymes with us. One of the sections of the book is bedtime rhymes and that was my initial inspiration for this challenge.

When I came across a lovely black and white illustration for the old poem of Wynken, Blynken and Nod I knew that I had my project for the challenge!

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe –
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring-fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

I had some lovely, shimmery voile in my stash so backed it with fusible web to create my herring fish. 

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.

The little stars were the herring-fish
That lived in the beautiful sea.
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish –
Never afeard are we!"
So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

 I used varying shades of grey thread for the quilting, the lightest grey being used to represent the foam on the tops of the ruffling waves. The shoe boat is appliqued black felt and the sail is an appliqued scrap of dyed habotai silk that I bought ages ago for an embroidery project that never happened!

 

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam –
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home:
'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea –
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

Wynken, Blynken and Nod were my first ever attempt at stumpwork figures and I definitely thought halfway through that maybe starting with such small figures probably wasn't my brightest idea :) When I came to attach the three of them to the quilt I did consider ditching them altogether and finding another way of representing Wynken, Blynken and Nod but I decided just to go with it in the end. They are definitely not the most proficient stumpwork figures you will ever see but for a first attempt I can convince myself they are not too bad!

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three: –
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

The poem was written by Eugene Field, an American poet and journalist and has the alternative title of a Dutch Lullaby which might explain the spelling and the wooden shoe connection.

As ever the Endeavourer's Challenges really stretch my creativity, and open up lots of exciting opportunities to try out new techniques, and this one has been no exception and I must again thank Janine and Catherine for inviting me to join this group.

I look forward to seeing all of the undoubtedly wonderful interpretations of this theme.

If you want to read more about the creation of this mini quilt head on over to  Celtic Thistle Stitches for more information.