With all the squares now signed and embroidered I have been able to finalise the design of the Storm Rider quilt. Well, when I say finalise that isn't quite true as I haven't yet totally settled on how I am going to piece the borders, but the main design is done.
I wanted the design to incorporate various aspects of the Storm Rider symbolism; some of the imagery and concepts that the group used (and still do use) to get us all through difficult patches. I was thinking of things like the circle of support around the one struggling, Black Canyon, and the idea that the others would be holding the rope that stopped someone falling into the Canyon. The fact that while each of us has her own journey through the Storm, we draw strength from each other.
The result of all these musings is an all-over design rather than traditional blocks. It consists of a "circle" of the linked signed squares, with a dark central area symbolising the Canyon in which a generic Storm Rider square sits. The placing of the generic square here rather than at the foot of the quilt illustrates that any one of us can be encircled by the support of the others when she needs to be.
At the sides, the signed squares touch the borders symbolising the rope. For squares "hold" the rope and by the joining of the squares everyone is attached to it either directly or through the others. The buttons, which I will be using instead of quilting stitches because of the embroidery, will form a line attaching the generic square to the rope through the circle.
So far, so good. Let the piecing begin!
