Friday, March 11, 2016

Sacred Threads

Our speaker at Quilt Guild this month was Vikki Pignatelli.  She shared some of her amazing art quilts with us and her inspiring story.  It was one of the most wonderful presentations we have ever had.  Her personal journey was one we could all relate to in some way, with frightening cancer diagnoses, exasperating teenager struggles, personal losses.  She began to realize that some of her quilts were compelling her to create them...taking on a life of their own as she expressed what was in her heart and soul.  Here are some of the pictures I took Wednesday of her work....



This is her most recent quilt, reflecting the scripture to plant oneself by Living Waters.  Within the leaves of the tree are embroidered the "fruits of the spirit."  It's very moving.



Some of her work is three-dimensional.  She uses layering techniques for the background work; has her own techniques of applique and piecing.

To get her wonderful depth of color with her skies, she often uses organza layering.
Vikki loves trees, which is one of my favorite motifs too.  Many of her spiritual themes were so wonderful!  So inspiring.  She felt compelled to start a show for quilters who were expressing their personal journeys with joy, pain, suffering, care-giving, Christian growth, elation and other things and started this in 1999...it is called Sacred Threads and is located now in Herndon, Virginia.  Each quilters' moving story is part of the show, and there are boxes of Kleenex located throughout the room, where 350 quilts are on display.  The need for the show is definitely something that had to be addressed!  Vikki says it was not her vision, but one that God lay on her heart, and it came to fruition in a big way and has touched so many people since its inception.  I looked it up....check it out at this LINK.  Be sure to look at the video!

Visit Vikki's website, and be sure to check out her Gallery of quilts.  Find the website HERE.

I was so happy Vikki came to speak to us at the Guild.  This was such a meaningful meeting!