The Essence Behind the Words

As the group was discussing the news challenge topic I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to make a quilt 'exploring what it means to be woman', for me. Perhaps these were not the exact words being used by one of our members, but it felt like that. I have sometimes had a hard time being a woman in today's world, but ever since my childhood, when I was thinking it would be easier to be a boy, that thought hasn't crossed my mind anymore. It may not be easy being a woman, but I would certainly not trade it for being a man. But making a quilt about this and showing viewers thoughts about all these things...? So I kept procrastinating, while thinking about how to go about it. As always, the original plan would not lend itself easily to a transformation into textile. Finally, I (re)turned to using text in textile, namely the word 'femina', the title for this challenge.

I cut the six letters that make up 'femina' from two different self-printed fabrics, four times each from each fabric, half of those in mirror image. Of course, that does not make much of a difference for 'I' or 'M' or 'A', but in the context of the other letters where it does, or when turned upside down as well that's when it is getting interesting.

One of the fabrics was also used as the background fabric onto which the letters were appliquéd, resulting in four lines of clearly visible versions of the word 'femina' interspersed with four lines of not quite so easily recognizable versions.

That background fabric was screenprinted with the words of the beginning line of one of Shakespeare's sonnets (no. 30): "When to the sessions of sweet silent thought".

I had ample time to churn a few thoughts about the essence of being woman/femina while planning the quilt, cutting the letters from the fabrics, stitching them onto the background fabric, and then quilting around the individual letters.

The back of the quilt shows the quilting outlines clearly.

And then I had the idea of adding hand-stitching to the quilting as well. French knots, in embroidery circles considered one of the stitches that best portray femininity - for a while it represented for me a very restrictive means of subjugating girls who had to learn to stich the perfect French Knot, or women as such. It was a long stretch before I learned to like (and now even love) French Knots. Now I am spending many hours adding them to the quilt, and that gives me ample time to reflect on the essence of being woman.

I think the quilt is soaking up all those thoughts. Without me having to reveal these thoughts too openly to the viewer. Who can then ponder his/her own thoughts about that topic. Meaning lies in the eyes of the beholder!

Hand-stitching still in progress, a cropped picture of the quilt as is, Sunday, Oct. 26th, 2025.