Summer Day

This quilt was inspired by the poem “The Summer Day” (See below) and given to me by Maureen. I tried three other ideas before this one because I wanted to have a grasshopper in the quilt. Said grasshopper is there (look at the label below).

I used an umbre fabric for the background because it reminded me of sunlight coming through trees. The rocks, water and grass are fabrics that were printed with that pattern which made it easy to cut out what I wanted. I also used pieces of dyed wool roving for the moss hanging from the trees. I initially wanted to make a needle felted grasshopper with the roving (didn't work).

The Summer Day

—Mary Oliver

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?