Spirit trap

I’ve decided to try my hand at quilting and embroidering some of the fresh leaf indigo cotton swatches I’ve made. The color reminds me of the ocean, so aqua, which got me thinking about the classic Scandinavian embroidery motif known as Rán’s net. She is an ocean spirit that catches souls, and you often see her nets in embroidery and folk painting at the center of herbs and flowers. In combination with the flowers, which represent blessing, these motifs become a kind of protection symbol– similar to the Native American art of dream catchers.

At the center of my quilt will be a net, and I’ll play around with quilting different tones of indigo over the salted indigo as a base. I’m excited that I finally have a use for this antique embroidery hoop I’ve been carrying around for 10 years I picked at a tag sale.