You know how I hate yellow? And purple is not all that fabulous? Well, it turns out, together they are kind of inspiring. So I have four quilts to show off.
Two are, in my mind, top contenders to be picked as my official one but I would like your comments on that before I decide. In order of construction then...
Purple Rain protest
I am sure that many people were humming Prince's Purple Rain as they considered this challenge but did you know there was a Purple Rain Protest in the apartheid years in South Africa? During the Cape Town protest the Police turned a water cannon filled with purple dye on the protesters to mark them out for easy arrest later. One of the protestors climbed on the canon and turned it away from the people and sprayed the dye all over the city centre buildings turning them purple.
I had been pondering with previous quilts of mine whether they only made any sense if there was a way for the viewer to also be the reader of the story behind them, whether by way of blog or a wall notice if the quilts were displayed. Well this time I thought I would go for the blatant route and just wrote on the quilt what it was about using a gel pen. Purple ink of course. I am delighted with the way, unless you are up close, the writing just adds pattern. I forgot to take photos when the strips were plain yellow ( I added the writing as the final touch after quilting) but believe me, visually, even without interpreting the meaning the words add so much.
IMHO - ahem!
I am less sure about durabilty and am now contemplating the airbrush route a la Susan Shie.
I promised a happy theme this time and of course the happy story is that the protests did lead to free elections as represented by the yellow cross.
The Purple Shall Rule.
During the protest the demonstrators carried banners and placards reading 'The People shall Govern'. When the day was over, and many present had been drenched in the dye, it was found that a pice of graffitti had been written on the side of the Old City Hall reading, 'The Purple Shall Govern'. I immediately envisaged the yellow crosses as earings worm by an African woman.
The good thing about this quilt is that by entire accident I found that hemp string is stiff and makes the earrings ( and I am sure in the future other embellishments!) hang in a kind of 3D way. The bad thing about this quilt is that when I was writing I got the quote wrong and refered to 'The Purple shall Rule' rather than govern. Ah well. If I hadn't confessed you would never have known would you?!
It's in your hands now
This is a mini-version of a quilt Idea I have had buzzing round ny head since Nelson Mandela's 46664 birthday concert/party in Hyde Park. The key line in his speech was 'It's in your hands now' referring to his withdrawal from public life and the passing of the mantle to the next generation.
Township Jazz
Three quilts on my design board looked silly. Clearly a fourth was required. I already blogged about the purple saxophone...it kind of had to be done. I like to listen to South African Township music. I just like the rythms and melodies. But during the apartheid years the township music was very much a part of the protests - I bet you all know exiled musician Hugh Masekla's 'Bring Him Back Home'.
Don't frown at me. You do. You just might not know you do:
Watch him perform it
here
Well I went to the house Mr Mandela went home to in Soweto - I was there just after his release and it was a very happy time, as was the time I spent making these quilts. Yellow or no. I really enjoyed finding a way to use the same fabric/ beads and symbols in each quilt but in a different way.