This is an abstract representation of my mother's life - her fears of a swirling, confused world, and the layers within which she protected her inner, shining star. The outer layers are nearly as dark as the world she was protecting herself from. The design for this quilt came to me as a whole, about a year after she died, thinking about her as I fell asleep. It was while working on it that I realized the symbolism involved in all the pieces. The title refers to the traditional quilt block I used, and also to the story of her life.

Date: 1992

Size: 48" x 48"

Materials/techniques: cotton, layered organza, lamé. machine pieced, appliquéd, and quilted. hand quilted.

Shown: Wild Goose Chase Quilt Gallery, IL 1993. Stocker Art Center, OH, 1994. Symbolic Visions, Woman Made Gallery, IL, 1994. Beyond Women's Work, University of Illinois 1997. FACET 10th Anniversary Show, Freeport Art Museum, IL 1997. Contemporary Quilt Design, The Chicago Athenaeum at Schaumburg IL, 2001. Sacred Threads, OH, 2003.

Published: International Society for the Study of Subtle Energy and Energy Medicine, journal covers, 1997. http://bluegrassnotes.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/living-from-essence/.

Price: NFS